Real Love is Hard To Find
by PhoebeSnow
Summary: Series of Romanogers/Cap Widow one shots. None of the chapters will be linked to each other unless otherwise specified. Some will be alternate spins on scenes between Nat and Steve in the films, others will be my own prompt ideas or inspired drabbles! Expect adorable fluff, schmaltz and angsty romance, as per usual!
1. I Trust You

**Slightly AU. Natasha reacts differently when Steve tells her that he trusts her with his life and Sam doesn't interrupt their moment.**

 **xxxXxxx**

 **Author's Note: Yes, I am a Marvel freak and I adore Cap Widow/Romanogers. They are perfection.❤️**

 **xxxXxxx**

Natasha was used to being attacked and having her life placed in danger. It was a part of her job, but honestly, sometimes she felt like that by just looking into Steve Roger's eyes, she would be in more trouble than she'd ever been in her entire life as a S.H.I. operative.

She had feelings for him. Feelings which had slowly begun to develop during their many S.H.I.E.L.D missions together. Natasha trusted Steve, almost on the same level that she trusted Clint. There was just one problem. She didn't know if he trusted her. Sure, she could dismiss it and say that Steve's trust wasn't that big of a deal, but after everything they'd been through the last few months, she felt a stronger connection with him.

It was ridiculous, considering they weren't extremely close. Natasha would shamelessly flirt with Steve at times, but he would always be in control, never giving too much away or hinting her insight as to what his feelings towards her were. They had a comfortable, casual friendship that, so far, Natasha was fine with...but now, she wanted more.

It was preposterous, but it kept her wondering and analyzing how she should approach him about it. Natasha always believed that emotional ties were harmful to her work, save for her friendship with Clint and her mentor relationship with Nick. But this thing with Steve had been keeping her up for nights. That moment on the Lemurian Star when he found out about the side mission Nick had given her...she hated seeing that angry look on his face. It was nearly akin to betrayal. And after she told him that one was on her, when he said, "You're damn right," those three words tore deep down to her soul. It was as if a brick wall had slammed into her heart.

Natasha needed Steve to believe in her. She needed it, because he was a reminder to her that life could be good. He was one of the few constants in her life that allowed her to feel _normal_ without it being like an excuse. They had a rapport, an understanding, and if she had tainted it somehow, she could never forgive herself.

This is why she took no pretense when they had a moment alone together in the guest room at Sam's house. She was nervous, uncertain of how Steve would react when she asked him, but she had to.

"If it was down to me to save your life...and you be honest with me...would you trust me to do it?"

Her breathing was deceptively calm, but inside she was a maelstrom. Every action she took as long as she was teamed up with Steve would be determined by his next words. She waited silently for his answer.

After a short pause, he looked up at her and replied, "I would now, and I'm always honest."

 _Thank God._

Natasha nodded slightly, trying to hold back the smile that fought to appear on her face. She looked down to her hands and rubbed the palms on her pant legs. Steadying herself, she forced herself to look up and meet Steve's eyes with hers again. When she did, she couldn't believe what she saw in those blue orbs.

Acceptance. Confidence. _Desire_.

Before she knew what was happening, Steve pulled her to him and pressed his lips to hers. It was a gentle kiss, a fact which Natasha was grateful for. Their first and last kiss several hours earlier was big and spontaneous. There wasn't too much passion in it as they were trying to avoid detection by the STRIKE team.

Natasha moaned, her hands went around Steve's neck while Steve slid his hands down to her sides, squeezing the soft flesh there. His fingers grazed the skin underneath her shirt and he actually growled in pleasure. This was a side to Steve Rogers that Natasha enjoyed. Natasha wasn't new to playing the affection side of things, but this was not a game. It was real, genuine. She wasn't toying with him now. The time for games was over. Crazy it may have seemed, but Natasha could even taste the trust in that kiss. This was the first time she ever could claim such bliss and she relished it.

Finally, they had to pull apart from each other to catch their mutual breaths. They both panted from the intensity of that kiss. Natasha had no words as she touched her forehead to Steve's, her hands grasping his tank top. She looked at him from under her eyelashes. "So...you trust me, and I think you know that I trust you." She licked her lips. "I think we can do this together...as a team. What do you think, Rogers?" The little flirtatious tilt in her voice made Steve smile.

He moved a strand of red hair from her face and stroked her cheek with his thumb. Chuckling, he said, "Romanov, I've never agreed with you more."


	2. Stay A Little Longer

Canon divergent. Natasha and Steve have cute, fluffy moments in his apartment. Mostly a pwp without porn. Takes place between Avengers and CA:TWS. (Nat and Bruce never happened. Don't tell me those lies.)

 **xxxXxxx**

It was surprising to Steve when Natasha called him. He'd been chatting it up with Sharon Carter, his next door neighbor and former S.H.I.E.L.D agent - she was a nice woman, as Natasha had informed him, but she really wasn't Steve's type - when the Russian spy had called his cell phone.

The number wasn't one that Steve recognized, so he hesitatingly answered, "Hello?"

There was silence on the other end for a moment and Steve wondered if it were possible that some star struck female fan managed to find his cell number. It wouldn't have surprised him in the least if it **did** happen. He still had to get used to the 21st century and a lot of the young females in this generation were shockingly and ofttimes, scarily obsessed with their heroes.

"Rogers," said the breathy feminine voice on the other end of the line.

 _Natasha_.

Steve's shoulders tensed a little, out of habit, and he raised an eyebrow. He had no idea that she knew his number. Well, she would because they had been paired on missions together for several months now. They were friends, but they never called each other, never contacted each other beyond their work, and work always kept the soldier and the spy very busy. It was an odd kind of friendship, but it worked for them.

"Romanov...what is it?"

"Can I come over?"

"To...my apartment?"

"Yeah."

"Sure. Is everything okay?" There was no clue how many safe houses there were between Washington and New York for Natasha to stay at, but for some reason, she wanted to spend time at Steve's place. Well, he wasn't one to reject a lady.

"Everything is fine. I just want to come over." Simple, tact and to-the-point. Obviously, she didn't plan to elaborate further, so Steve keep his questions to himself. Maybe when she arrived, she would let him know what this was all about.

"Alright. I'm already at home, so I'll be waiting." He bit his tongue once he realized how domestic that sounded. Hopefully, Natasha took no notice of it.

There was another period of silence on the phone before she spoke again. "I'll be there in ten." Then she hung up. So she was in DC. _'Maybe she's on a job,'_ he mused silently.

With an awkward apology to Sharon, Steve went back to his apartment and turned on the lights. He had never been a messy person, but the place needed a bit of fixing up. He put up the dishes that he'd left in the sink, folded stray clothes that he found in his bedroom and wiped off the stove while he was at it.

 _"A man should never let a woman into his home when it's a pigsty,"_ his dad had told him years and years ago. Joseph Rogers always had advice he gave his son, for the moment at present and for future reference. Steve felt a pang as he thought of his father. It still was difficult, living here in the 21st century since everyone that he cared about was dead. At least he still had Peggy, but she was stricken with Alzheimer's and half the time, she forgot what decade it was. Even though he had been back in the world for over two years, Steve still felt like a man out of time.

A knock on the door shook him from his reverie and he opened it. Natasha stood there, with a smile on her face and a large pizza box in her hand. Steve smiled back and furrowed his brow slightly.

"You didn't have to bring food, you know. I could have made something...then again, I wasn't sure what to expect when you called."

The lithe redhead walked into the apartment and set the pizza box on the counter. "Oh, I couldn't have let you do that, Rogers. The element of surprise is a time honoured tradition that I submit to on a daily basis." She turned and gave him a probing look. "Though, next time, you have a deal. I would like to see what the culinary talents of Captain America have to offer~"

Now Steve wasn't green to Natasha's flirtatious behaviour, but there was still a stirring in his stomach whenever she teased him like that. He knew that she was aware of her effect on men and that her flirty attitude came naturally as a front to hiding what she really felt.

Sometimes he wasn't sure where he stood with the woman. Their relationship had always been a formal one, that is, until they starting getting teamed up together on missions for S.H.I.E.L.D. There **was** something between them, of that he was convinced, but it wasn't defined. Steve knew that Natasha was attracted to him and he was to her. Still, it wasn't very much to go by. Mystique and Natasha Romanov always went hand in hand...

It always bothered Steve that he was a bit clueless when it came to the Russian spy. He liked it when there weren't a lot of secrets among the people he worked with, but he understood that someone of Natasha's dark background wouldn't be willing to just open up on a whim. Maybe this visit was the start of something.

He walked over to the cupboard and pulled out two plates, setting them down next to the pizza. "Agreed, but only if you return the favour by fixing one of those amazing Russian dishes Barton keeps raving about."

"Tsk, I told Clint to stop telling people that. I swear, he does that to make me feel like an accomplished chef. Do you have anything to drink?"

"Water and milk. That's about it. I have to go to the grocery store tomorrow."

Natasha smirked and set down a brown bag on the counter. "Then I did the right thing, bringing my own." She had a feeling that he wouldn't have soda or liquor since he wasn't big on carbonated drinks and alcohol, so she brought something herself.

The sound the bag produced once Natasha placed it on the hard surface made Steve suspect that it was some kind of alcoholic beverage. He opened the bag and raised an eyebrow at her. "Vodka? You know I can't get drunk, right?"

With a slow turn of her head, Natasha gaped at Steve as if he just told her something terrible. "Wow, Rogers, I had absolutely **no** clue. And here, I was planning to get you hammered and take advantage of you. Oh, well. Some other time, then."

Steve rolled his eyes and pulled two glasses from the cupboard. While he poured the vodka in both of their glasses, Natasha doled out the pizza on their mutual plates. It was a strangely intimate setting and their arms brushed against each other as they silently prepared their food.

Once they finished, they both went into the small living room and plopped down on the couch. Natasha kicked off her boots and crossed her legs, sighing contentedly as she bit into a piece of pizza. "So...you got any good movies around here?"

"Yeah, I have a few."

"Good, could you pick one to watch? I trust your judgement."

"Sure, but Natasha..."

She cocked her head to the side and replied, "Yeah?"

"What's all of this about?"

"I just...I wanted to spend time with you...alone. If that's okay."

So that was why she came over. Steve gave her a grin and a slight squeeze of her hand. "Yes. It's okay."

They watched The Best Years of Our Lives, which didn't surprise Natasha in the least. From the scuttlebutt in Avengers tower, it was one of Steve's favourite films. It was a good movie and she had seen it once or twice before, but that was long ago. As they watched the movie, Natasha curled up in a semi-fetal position and laid her head on Steve's shoulder. To her pleasure, he didn't pull away.

By the time the film was over, Natasha had fallen asleep, her head lie against one of the couch pillows. Steve turned off the tv and turned to look down at the redhead. She looked so peaceful in her sleep that he felt it would be wrong to wake her, so he left her alone. He made quick work of dispensing the glasses and plates, cleaning everything up and and putting things back in their proper place.

A sleepy moan came from the living room when Steve closed the cupboard door. He went back over to Natasha and picked her up, taking her to his bedroom. Steve placed her sleeping form on his bed and removed her jacket and shoes. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and smiled down at her.

"Guess I'll just sleep on the couch tonight." He got a few clothes from his dresser and changed in the bathroom. Once he came out, Natasha was wide awake, sitting up and looking at him, her expression unreadable.

"How long have I been out?"

"A little over an hour. You need me to drive you back?"

"No. Is it okay if I just spend the night with you?"

Steve raised his eyebrows.

"I mean, not to do that...ah, I just want to stick around tonight and I'll be out of your hair by tomorrow morning. I promise." She licked her lips and met his blue eyes with her green ones.

"I have no problem with that."

She sighed and stretched out her legs, arms slipping under the pillow her head rested on. It smelled like Steve, but it was no substitute for the real thing. He was just about to leave the room when she called out, "Steve..." He stopped and turned back, looking at her curiously.

"What is it?"

"Could you just stay with me a little longer, please? I think it would help me fall asleep faster."

He smiled and got in the bed with her, letting her rest her head on his chest as their legs tangled together. He chanced giving her a small kiss on her forehead and he felt her smile.

Natasha spoke, voice low and seductive, "Why Steve. I had no idea that you wanted a little action. All you had to do was ask."

He laughed and rubbed her arms with his. "Shut up and go to sleep, Natasha."

She grinned before closing her eyes, enjoying the feel of Steve's skin against her own. "Aye, aye, Captain."


	3. Window Shopping

Natasha hits the mall to go window shopping and drags Steve along with her. Pwp and shameless fluff. I regret nothing.❤️

 **xxxXxxx**

"Natasha...why did you ask me to come here with you? I already bought clothes this week." Steve had that serious chastising look on his face. It was so cute. Natasha nudged him playfully with her elbow.

"Silly. We're not actually buying anything. We're window shopping."

"Window shopping?"

"Yes." She gasped and went over to a department store window, smiling at a pretty green dress she saw on display. "Isn't that beautiful?"

Steve followed her, expression still the same.

"Yes, it's nice, but Natasha..."

"Mmhm?"

"What's the point of window shopping when you aren't even going to buy anything?"

The redhead turned back to her boyfriend and shook her head at him. He always had to know the reasons for everything. It was exasperating at times, but it was one of the reasons Natasha loved him so much. He was impossible to lie to and he could see through a smoke screen better than anyone she knew.

In Natasha's old life, she had become accustomed to casual lying when it suited her or the occasion called for it. Being with Steve, though, it made her feel like she could be honest around him, and she was. It was difficult at first, but it got easier as time went by.

"Because window shopping makes it so much more exciting when you come back the second time and the store still has the items you want. I know that for such an old nonagenarian as yourself, we young people have many frivolous habits, but-"

Natasha's words were cut off by Steve's lips crashing to her own. She moaned and returned the kiss, grasping his waist and savouring the feel of his body pressed to hers. He lapped at her bottom lip, running his tongue along the seam and she sighed, enjoying the ministrations. There were some disapproving looks they got from people, strangers who laughed at their display of affection, but Natasha and Steve didn't heed them.

Natasha had her fair share of kisses, moments when a mission needed her to entice the person. A kiss was certainly disarming enough and it was one of the key weapons that Natasha used in her arsenal. Still, after all of the jobs she had done, not one of those men could hold a candle to Steve when it came to kissing. The man didn't just kiss for one thing. He devoured.

Steve Rogers had always been an all or nothing kind of man and that was one of the things that drew Natasha to him. His confidence, steadfast loyalty to his teammates, his unflinching morals and honour code, those were all the factors that lit the candle and made Natasha want to know him better. It wasn't long before they became a couple.

Hell, Steve was so good and pure that sometimes, she struggled with the knowledge that he actually picked her. She was far from perfect, and even though she knew Steve wasn't, it was still hard to believe that she deserved him. Her past had been hard and difficult to talk about, but he had stayed there for her, through thick and thin, listening intently, never judging, always inspiring her. He constantly told her that she had redeemed herself and that she needed to stop blaming herself for her past wrongs. Steve had been such a comfort to her these past few months. He was her rock, her anchor. She was tethered to him and she would never let go.

Minutes passed before Steve pulled back and kissed her on the nose. Natasha giggled in spite of how silly she sounded. It was remarkable how sexy and passionate Steve could be when it came to his relationship with Natasha, but still be very gentle with her. She revelled in it.

"Now, what were you saying about me being an old man?"

Natasha licked her lips and shook her head. She removed her hands from Steve's waist, but took his hand in hers, squeezing it affectionately. "Not a thing."


	4. What A Friend Is

**Author's note:** **Okay, the next fic I post won't be so fluffy and angsty, so prepare yourselves.**

 **xxxXxxx**

 _Natasha and Steve wake up in bed together and Natasha is stricken with a massive hangover._

 **xxxXxxx**

The light was too bright for her eyes and the pounding headache was doing no good for her either. Natasha groaned and turned on her side to embrace her pillow, but there was no pillow. As soon as her hands grasped for the soft cushion resting beside her, they found, instead, something hard, muscled and flesh.

She was slowly beginning to awaken, but her senses were on alert once she felt another person in her bed. Natasha's eyes widened and she jumped up to get out of bed. Unfortunately, her foot was tangled in the lower limbs of the person next to her and she fell back down, face first onto the masculine chest below her.

Natasha moved her head away when the man's arms wrapped around her, crushing her to him. Natasha waved her arms around and tried to get loose, but his grip on her was tight. Finally, after several minutes of wriggling and struggling, she pulled away from him and got a good look at who she had slept with.

That strong jaw, flaxen blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes let her know who the man was.

"Steve." Her voice out in a croaking whisper, due to just waking up.

Steve blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes before looking at her with a warm smile. He seemed mighty relaxed for a man who got away with cuddling up to the Black Widow. Natasha felt a blush coming on.

"Hey, Natasha...you feeling any better?"

"Feeling better than wha-" She stopped mid-sentence. The feeling of bile rushing up her oesophagus made her leap from the bed in a burst of energy and she rushed to the bathroom, where she proceeded to empty out the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

The warm feeling of Steve's hands brushed against her neck, holding her hair back so it wouldn't fall in her face. He said nothing, merely stayed with her in the bathroom, keeping her red locks out of the way until she finished vomiting. It took several minutes before she lifted her head up from the toilet. When she did, she wiped her mouth with a handful of toilet paper and groaned.

"God, my head feels like someone took a drill to it. How did I get so hammered last night...?" She looked at Steve, who handed her a Tylenol and a glass of water. She took the pill and water from him, drinking it slowly. It had been years since she'd actually been drunk and forgotten the details of the night before.

Steve sat on the edge of the tub and rubbed her back. "Thor brought Asgardian mead to the party last night and he challenged all of us to a drinking contest. You and Tony took him up on his offer; Tony passed out at the dinner table after two glasses and you drank five, surprising everyone, even Thor. You tried to get back to your room, but you collapsed before you made it through the door. I caught you, and put you to bed. You slept for twelve hours, Natasha."

The redhead wrinkled her nose and set the cup on the light blue bathroom tiles. "Twelve hours? Impossible. I never slept that long in my entire life, even as a kid. What time is it?"

"It's half-past twelve."

"Wow...so I'll never drink Asgardian mead again. I can't believe it did a number on me like that." She stood up shakily and gripped Steve's arms for support. They walked back to her bedroom and she sat on the edge of her bed, resting her head on her knees. Steve came over and pushed a strand of hair behind her ears and smiled at her.

"Well, he is an alien from another planet. It would make sense that their version of alcoholic beverages would be stronger than ours. More dangerous, too. You hardly ever get drunk."

Natasha chuckled and whispered to him conspiratorially, "Oh, believe me. You haven't seen me at my absolute worst, Steve."

"Even if I did, it wouldn't change my feelings about you. You're still one of my best friends, Natasha."

She raised and eyebrow and gave him a testing grin. He played it safe by sticking with the best friends line. Not that Natasha minded. There was definitely something between them, but she was fine with taking it slow for right now and not defining it as anything permanent.

" _'One of your best friends'_? Geez, Steve, you really know how to make a girl feel wanted. Which number am I? Two or three? I know Bucky is first, but I've known you longer than Sam, so I should get a little superiority."

Steve laughed and touched her cheek gently. Natasha would be lying if she said that she didn't enjoy the way Steve looked after her. In one way it was aggravating, but in another, it was very sweet. Natasha knew how to take care of herself and was very independent, but knowing that Steve would always be there for her when she needed him...well, it made those warm, fuzzy feelings come around.

"There are no numbers with me. You know that, Natasha. If you're in my life it's because I want you to be in it and you're _worth_ it."

If the pain of her headache hadn't been such a bother, she would have started bawling right there. That was one of the sweetest things Steve had ever said to her, and he was really, **really** good at being sweet.

"Thanks, Steve..." She said softly, blinking back tears.

"No problem. Now, come on. Let's get you something to eat." He pulled her up and they walked down the hall to the kitchen. Neither of them spoke as they walked, but their hands were entwined the entire time.


	5. The Orange Debacle

_Natasha is eating breakfast in the kitchen at the Avengers Tower. Steve comes in, seeking orange juice after a morning run, but finds the last of the orange juice in Natasha's cup. She does not intend to share, but Steve has a different idea._

 ** _xxxXxxx_**

Natasha yawned and opened the refrigerator door in the kitchen. Her hands reached for a container of Greek yogurt and a small package of blueberries and after closing the fridge door, she opened the bag of bagels in the breadbox and put one on her plate. She didn't feel like cooking a heavy breakfast. It was just one of those days.

Humming to herself, Natasha mixed the tiny blue fruit into her bowl of yogurt. "Oh. I almost forgot the juice." She went back to the fridge and pulled out the carton of orange juice and poured herself a glass. There wasn't much left in the container and she frowned. Why did the other masculine members of the Avengers always happen to leave the orange juice with nary a cup left inside the carton?

 _Men_.

Well, at least there was about two cups in this particular carton. Natasha suspected that either Tony or Thor had left the small amount of juice in the fridge for her to find as a means of teasing her. Apparently, her threats involving creative torture with a knife and a sponge didn't scare them easily. Oh, well. Next time, she would just have to booby trap the juice box so they received a shock when they touched it. Natasha's lips spread into an easy smirk and she sat down on a stool at the counter, taking a bite of her blueberry yogurt.

Familiar sounding footfalls in the hall reached her ears and she didn't look up as she said, "Morning, Rogers. How was your run?"

"Pretty good. I ran twenty-five laps today." Steve ran a hand through his hair, which was damp since he had just finished taking a shower. Natasha knew that he'd gone on a run because he always did so before breakfast.

Even though Natasha was physically got herself, she would never wake up as early as Steve did to go for a workout. She liked to sleep in. Steve liked to wake up before dawn when it was still dark.

A few times, he'd asked her to go running with him and she politely declined every time. "Your morning hours are my sleeping hours, Rogers. I operate better at night than the morning." This, of course, was a lie because Natasha could operate well no matter what time it was. However, if she was not on a mission for SHIELD, then she would be found in her bed until twelve o'clock noon. Particularly on Saturday, which just so happened to be today.

She took a sip of her orange juice and shook her head. "You're the only one who loves to run for ridiculously long periods of time this early. Did Sam join you?"

Steve opened the refrigerator and moved items around. "Yeah, but he stopped after the tenth lap. Said he needed a break. I guess sometimes I forget my own vitality."

"Oh, I'm not the least bit surprised. I'm sure you have enough energy to fuel the entire team. At least, that's what Wanda says."

A chuckle came from behind her and more rummaging in the fridge made Natasha swirl around in her chair. "Do you need help looking for something, Rogers? Or are you just exercising your fingers?" She asked.

Steve looked at her and rolled his eyes. "No...I'm looking for the orange juice. We still have some right?"

She took another sip of her juice and replied, "No. We're all out now. I have the last of it here." She pointed to her glass.

Those blue eyes stared at the glass and Natasha instinctively moved the cup closer to her. She didn't like the way Steve was looking at her juice.

"Nuh-uh. Forget it, Rogers. This is **my** juice now. The grocery store is five minutes away. You can go buy some more if you want, but this is mine. I'm not sharing."

"Aw, come on, Nat. I was really looking forward to that orange juice. I promise I'll buy you a whole carton if you just give me your glass."

Her green eyes squinted and she watched him carefully. Natasha got out of her stool, orange juice in hand and slowly backed up. Steve followed her with his hands out in a conciliatory gesture, but she wasn't fooled. He wasn't getting any of her juice. "I said no," she responded in a clipped tone.

"Nat, please. I'm begging you and I never beg anyone."

"And you'll keep begging, but you still aren't having any of my juice."

Sighing, Steve put his hand in his pockets and gave her a grudging look. "Alright, fine. I'll just go buy some more."

Natasha watched him turn down the hall and go back to his room before sitting back down on her stool. She took another spoonful of her yogurt and hummed satisfactorily, as she leaned back in her seat.

If she had been paying attention, she would have realized that Steve was still around the corner, waiting for a moment when he could grab her juice and drink it. It was hardly the behavior of Captain America, but right now, he wasn't Captain America, he was Steve Rogers, who had a hankering for orange juice.

Sometimes, thirst turned even the most respectable adults into greedy, duplicitous children. Such was the case of Steve because, when Natasha walked over to the sink to rinse her bowl out, he sprang forward and snatched her glass in his hands.

"Hey!" Natasha yelled and ran after Steve as he ran around the counter, dodging her so he could gulp down the rest of the juice. Natasha was not about to let him finish it, though. In mere seconds, she climbed onto the kitchen counter and threw herself on top of Steve, tackling him and causing them both to fall to the ground. Unfortunately, the orange juice spilled all over their clothes.

Steve groaned and picked up the glass, setting it on the counter as he got up. He hadn't expected Natasha to launch herself at him over a small cup of juice. "...Thanks a lot, Nat. Now I'll have to take another shower to get the orange juice out of my hair and off my skin. Was throwing yourself at me really necessary?"

"Yeah, it was, but don't worry, Rogers. I'll buy us some more orange juice. I'd hate to go without my fix."

The redhead gave him a shrewd grin and took off her jacket. She needed to take a shower too, but first, she wanted to give Steve a little more payback for taking her juice. She stepped forward, invading his space and pressed her lips to his, her tongue lapping up the tiny drops of orange juice that rested on his upper lip.

Once she pulled back, she moaned and smirked at him. The shocked look on his face was too much. It was all Natasha could do to keep from laughing. Instead, she kept her cool front and said, "You taste pretty good, Rogers. Catch you later~"

She gave him a not-so-friendly slap on the backside and took off to her room, jacket in hand. She made sure to make a tiny, yet noticeable, swish of her hips as she walked away to ensure that he'd enjoy the view.

Payback was sweet.


	6. Somebody Call For A Rescue?

_Natasha has a bad cold with coughing, sneezing, the works. Mistakenly thinking she is dying, Steve valiantly breaks down her apartment door to save her. However, being rescued by a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Adonis is a nice way to start a boring afternoon._

xxxXxxx

Natasha had been having a bad day. Her car decided to break down on her, which meant that she had to walk all over campus for her classes and was almost late for a couple of them. It was a pretty hot day too, so that certainly didn't help things.

 _'Well, things can't get any worse from here,'_ she thought to herself.

She shouldn't have even entertained such a dangerous thought. The morning after, she woke up in her apartment, coughing violently. The pollen count had been high the day before and she'd been walking around in it for quite a while, going to and from classes.

Natasha took an couple of echinacea pills and drank some herbal lemon tea. What she really needed was a nice, big bowl of hot soup. Minestrone or beef stew would work wonders for her throat and help kick the mucus out of her system. Unfortunately, today was the day that Natasha was supposed to go grocery shopping, but given how bad her cold was, she figured it'd be best to remain indoors.

Staying inside when one had a cold was not fun. Natasha decided against calling any of her friends to go to the store for her though, because she didn't want to be a bother. Anyway, it was Mother's Day, so most of her friends were back home, spending the weekend with their families. Natasha was one of the students who didn't have a home to go to.

Her parents died in a car accident when she was nine so her grandmother took custody of her, raising her until she passed away. Natasha had just graduated a couple of days after when her grandmother, бабушка _(babushka),_ as she called her, died. Even though Natasha loved the house she and her grandmother had lived in and she wouldn't have had any problem living in it on her own - the mortgage was paid off years ago, so the only thing to be paid for would be the water and electricity bill - it was just too lonely there by herself. So, after careful consideration, she decided to sell the house.

The house was bought in a few weeks after being listed, which Natasha was extremely grateful for. She took a few trinkets and furniture with her from the house, but she left most of it behind for the family who bought the house. As much as Natasha adored her grandmother's taste in design, she had her own apartment to decorate and it wasn't a large apartment either.

The proceeds from the sale were very generous and Natasha put half of it in the trust fund her grandmother had started for her. The money was growing at a wonderful rate, and Natasha was certain that, after she graduated, she could purchase a small house with the money.

The only problem with living in a house was that, whether it was small or not, it would still be pretty solitary. Perhaps she could interest one of her female friends to be her roommate. Goodness knows Pepper, Wanda and/or Darcy could use a change of scenery. Pepper had been living with her fiancée, Tony, until she caught him cheating, so she left and moved in with Wanda, but Wanda was having problems with her unbearably lascivious landlord. Then there was Darcy, whose parents kicked her out because she got a D in geometry. Hell, they all could be roommates together. Life would never be dull with such different and vibrant feminine personalities living under one roof, that was for sure.

Coughing loudly and blowing her nose, Natasha switched the channels on her tv again, trying to find something worth watching. "Geez, there is a lot of garbage on television these days," she murmured to herself and she continued to flip through stations. Finally, after a few minutes of channel surfing, she found Beaches playing on Lifetime.

Always a sucker for a good tearjerker, she set the remote control down on the coffee table in front of her. Natasha pulled her colourful afghan around her shoulders tightly and snuggled up against the oversized pillow on her knees. The scene where Bette Midler's character was singing 'Oh Industry' had just come on.

"Oh, good. One of my favorite parts of the movie." Natasha coughed and hacked for a few minutes as she watched the rest of the film. Every once in a while she would sneeze and have to blow her nose too, which really got on her nerves because it gave her a hard time trying to hear what the characters were saying.

After the movie ended, Natasha stood up to make herself another cup of lemon tea, but her body was, yet again, immediately wracked with coughing. She sat back down and grabbed her chest, hitting it with a flat palm in an effort to stop. Her chest was beginning to get sore from the coughing.

Several minutes passed before the coughing subsided and when it did, Natasha took a long swig of her water until her cup was empty. "Okay, that's it. I'm going to the store. I need hot soup pronto. I guess I'll just cover up with gloves and a scarf..."

As she stood, a loud crashing sound came from the front door of her apartment, which made Natasha jump in surprise. Was someone trying to break in? She tossed the afghan from around her shoulders and reached under the table, pulling out a baseball bat. Whoever the jerk was, he would get the surprise of his life.

As she waited for the thief, rapist, whatever this guy was break in to her apartment she heard him shout from behind her front door. "Don't worry, ma'am! I'm coming!" She gasped at this. He really had some nerve, announcing that he was going to break in!

Natasha stood around the corner of her front door as the crashing sound finally subsided and was followed by a sickening crunch sound, then a lold thud. The creep had broken in. Natasha gripped the baseball bat and waited for him to run past her so she could get a good hit in.

Whoever he was, he ran really fast. He passed Natasha before she could get a swing in and she coughed. The man whirled at the sound and he gasped. "Oh, my God! Are you okay?! Did you need to go to the emergency room or anything?!"

"What the hell are you talking about...? Don't come any closer, you creep! Unless you want your brains bashed in." For some reason, he looked familiar to Natasha, but she shook off that feeling and kept her glaring eyes on him in between coughs.

He kept his distance and held his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. "Look...um, I must be mistaken then. This is really embarrassing. Ah, I'm sorry for breaking into your apartment, but I thought you were...well, dying.."

Wait, what? Natasha scrunched her eyebrows and she scoffed. "I beg your pardon?"

"I thought you were dying because of all the coughing I heard. These walls are pretty thin, you know. I'm your new neighbor...Steve Rogers? I moved in last week. You held the door open for me in the elevator once." Steve's cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink after he said that. Not that Natasha blamed him. Why would he remember her holding the elevator open for him...? That was a pretty odd thing to say.

 _She_ did remember him, though. Steve had been moving his furniture into the apartment a few levels up from her own and she held the elevator for him as he carried a large box in his arms. He attempted to make small talk with Natasha, but her mind was on the research paper she had to do and she didn't really take notice of him.

That moment made her feel quite embarrassed as she never treated people with such flippancy before. Afterwards, she had wanted to bring him lasagna or one of a million different varieties of casserole and welcome him to the apartments, but she'd been swamped with school and work, so the time got away from her and she ended up forgetting.

At least Steve had knocked down her door with noble intentions. That was pretty sweet, come to think of it. Natasha lowered the bat, setting it down on the kitchen countertop. She crossed her arms and stifled the coughing fit that threatened to strike before replying hoarsely, "Ohh. Right. Well, I hope you're planning on paying for the perfectly nice door that you broke down...Rogers." For some reason, she felt a little more comfortable and in control calling him by his last name.

That pink hue on his cheeks turned scarlet. Boy, could he blush on demand. Steve looked at the door and hurried over to it, picking it up and leaning it against the wall. "Don't worry, I will. I promise. I'm really very sorry about all of this." He licked his lips and looked to be in thought. Natasha watched him, waiting for him to speak.

As she waited, she gave him a lengthy once over. Good God, he was a stud. Not lanky by any means. He had short blonde hair, gorgeous blue eyes, full lips that were made for kissing and a whole lot of other good things going for him. Natasha could tell that, from his physique, he worked out. Probably three or four times a week at the gym. Then she shook her head at the straying thought.

 _Get it together, girl._

Steve smiled softly at her and he put his hands in his pockets. "Listen...I know that I destroyed your front door and barged into your house without an invite, but...it looks to me as if you have a cold."

The words "How did you know that?" were ready to leave Natasha's mouth, but then she remembered the big mug that she drank her lemon tea in, the scattered tissues, the plate of vegetables she'd eaten. All of these things were left on the coffee table and were clear signs that she was fighting off a cold. Not to mention that she was wearing her rumpled polka dot pajamas.

A little embarrassed of being seen in such a state by a handsome guy that she didn't know, Natasha responded, "Yeah? You won't catch it if you keep your distance from me." The biting sarcasm that laced Natasha's voice surprised her and she felt immediate shame about it. The look on Steve's face made her feel even worse. Her babushka would have scolded her for such rudeness.

Natasha wrung her hands and laughed awkwardly. "I-I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so nasty. I just...I'm not in a good mood. My chest is in pain from all of this coughing I've been doing and then you broke down my door. Unintentionally, of course, and it was still a bit of a nuisance, but I'm not one to hold a grudge. You're forgiven." She made sure to give him a beaming smile that would perk him up.

And it did. He gave her a dazzling white smile in return and took his hands out of his pockets. He motioned to the door. "I can fix it today. I have the right tools for it. I'd just need to go to Home Depot or Lowe's and get another door."

"Yeah, and these doors are all the same bland copy, so you should have no trouble there."

"Right...but before I do that, I'd like to make you some soup."

"Soup?" Natasha looked at Steve, a furrow in her brow.

"Yeah. I'm just getting over a cold myself and my mother's homemade soup recipe is helping me get better faster."

Her stomach gurgled and they both laughed at the sound. "Sounds just like what the doctor ordered," she replied. "Thank you. I'd really appreciate that, if you're sure you don't mind."

Steve waved his hand in the air. "Trust me. It's no big deal. My mother used to help out destitute young women all the time...er, but you aren't destitute." There was that cute blush again.

"Well, maybe not personally, but you could say that my stomach fits into that category."

They both laughed again and Steve gave her a look that Natasha couldn't identify. She felt herself shivering in spite of the warm air conditioning in her apartment.

Steve moved towards the doorway of her apartment. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I still have a lot of soup in my fridge. I'll heat up a pot and bring it over in ten, fifteen minutes. Is that okay?"

Natasha held her arms out. "I'm not going anywhere."

Steve had one foot out in the hall when he stopped, backed up and gave her a questioning gaze. Natasha cocked her head to the side. "Is something wrong?"

"Your name. I told you mine, but you didn't give me yours. I can't go around calling you 'neighbor', now, can I?"

"Oh. Yeah. I'm Natasha. Natasha Romanov."

The man stepped forward and shook Natasha's hand gently, holding it a mite too long - not that it bothered her any - before letting go. "Natasha...that's a beautiful name."

Steve gave her one more final look before smiling and disappearing into the hallway.

As she made her way back into the kitchen, Natasha noticed that her coughing fits had finally stopped. She thought about the startlingly blue eyes that Steve had and she felt a little bit of glee. Who knew she had such a handsome neighbor, with a nice smile? Maybe Natasha was reading too much into it, but Steve definitely seemed to be attracted to her. Staying indoors wasn't so bad after all.

 _xxxXxxx_

 **You guys got why Steve said that he couldn't just call Natasha 'neighbor', right? Because he and Nat will become more than merely people who live next door to each other. That, and I wanted to give a burn on Sharon when Steve coldly called her 'neighbor' in TWS. Yeah, I have no shame! Hehe!**


	7. Me and No One Else

**Author's note: Lordy, this chapter is long. I really need to work on making these drabbles actually short like I PLAN to. I just get so caught up in the story that, by the time I edit it, it's twice as long as it's originally supposed to be. Ah, well. More for you guys to love!**

 _xxxXxxx_

 _Steve has been spending a lot of time with Sharon Carter and even though it was Natasha who advised him to go out with her, it still hurts to see them together. So, Natasha decides to confront Steve and tell him how she feels._

 **xxxXxxx**

This was driving her crazy.

Every time Natasha saw Steve, it seemed like he was spending time with Sharon Carter. Now, there was nothing wrong if they decided to hang around each other, but honestly, this was far too much.

Last week, Sharon kept finding some excuse to drop by the Avengers complex. She had some special assignment in upstate New York, and Steve had invited her - really, what the hell was he thinking when he did that?! - to come over sometimes. And boy, did she ever. Natasha thought there hadn't been a single day when she **didn't** see the blonde, and that began to irritate her something fierce.

Both Wanda and Clint noticed her attitude after a while. It was kind of hard not to. Natasha had grown increasingly gruff and ill-tempered each passing day. Seeing Sharon and Steve together was threatening to make her the nastiest woman on the planet. Every time she saw Steve, he was either sitting next to Sharon, eating with her, running with her - he only ran six miles so Sharon could join him in the morning; Natasha, herself, could go for _twelve_ miles with him, not a measly _six_ \- or sparring with her.

At breakfast, Clint asked her about it. Between a spoonful of yogurt, he asked, "Why are you so pissed, Nat? You **are** the one who told Steve to call Sharon. Did you really think he would just ignore your advice?"

Natasha bit into her blueberry bagel and scowled at Clint. "No. I knew that he would call her. I just didn't expect things to happen so fast between them. They're spending so much time together that it could really affect the team as a whole. I just don't want Steve's focus to be on something less important."

She was really overcompensating for the reason of voicing her concern, but Clint wasn't going to address it. Natasha needed to be honest with herself about why seeing Steve and Sharon together bothered her so much.

"Nat...you know I'm not one to butter you up with assurances and tell you that everything is gonna be okay because it clearly isn't. You need to sit down and have a talk with him about your feelings."

There was no pretense in her eyes as she looked back at Clint. He was her best friend and he knew her better than she knew herself sometimes. It was a blessing because he could give her a helping hand when she needed one and a swift kick in the ass when she needed that, too. In this case, it felt like both.

"I...I don't know if I should. Clearly, he has an interest in Sharon. They're probably in a relationship too, so if I were to tell him 'Hey, guess what? I like you,' it's not going to end well."

"You're damn right, it's not going to end well. Not with you saying it like _that_. 'Tasha...you're the toughest woman I know. And Steve Rogers is the toughest man I know. I've seen the way you work, both in the field and off-duty, as friends. It's pretty obvious that you have feelings for him, at least it is to me. I think there's a high probability that he feels the same. If I could pick any two people in the world who I would love to see together, it would be you and him."

There were only four times in Natasha's life when she was genuinely taken by surprise by other people, and this was the fifth. Natasha raised her eyebrows and said, "Clint, how long have you known?"

He sighed and took a sip of his coffee. "I don't know. Maybe a few weeks before we dealt with Ultron. The two of you had definitely gotten more chummy since the fight with the Chit'auri, but I dismissed it as a friendship that had grown during your work together on SHIELD missions..."

"But?"

"But I started realizing that in the midst of all the teasing you give him about his age and trying to get him a date, you really care about him. You've even touched him on the arm or on the shoulder. You hardly ever touch other people like that, but with Steve, you seem freer to be close. Whenever I see the both of you around each other, I noticed there was something in your eyes at times that made me realize you had begun to fall in love with him."

Natasha's eyes widened and Clint just chuckled, taking another sip of his coffee. She didn't expect him to say that to her. _Good_. A little surprise can go far if you use it the rIthe way. He stood up and rinsed his cup in the sink. Then he turned and put his hands on Natasha'a shoulders.

"Tell him how you feel and don't half-ass it or try to come off as witty or sarcastic. Just be you. Be Natasha. Even if he only wants to be friends, at least everything will be out in the open and you won't feel so tortured about it anymore."

He was right. There had to be some risks in life to make it worth living. Even Natasha knew that. If she could put her life on the line constantly as an Avenger, she could tell Steve Rogers that she had feelings for him.

"Thanks, Clint."

"Anytime. Now, go knock his socks off."

It was unbelievable how clammy her hands were. Natasha kept rubbing her sweaty palms on her pant leg and frowned. This was the worst. She glanced up from her spot on her bed to Steve, who was talking on the phone with Sharon.

Natasha wasn't able to stop her mind from going cynical as she guessed that he was probably missing her and telling her that he loved her. This was _Steve Rogers_ , after all. He may be a tough soldier who had amazing strategic capabilities on the battlefield, but he was still a romantic at heart. That fact quickly became evident to Natasha from the first moment they met on the hellicarrier and when he called her 'ma'am'.

Natasha had read all of the SHIELD'S files on Steve before he decided to join the organisation, and she had to say that he really lived up to the name Captain America. When they first met, she found him attractive and was drawn to his appealing, old-timey kind of charm. But that was before they'd become friends, and there wasn't time for flirting anyway - and even if she wanted to flirt with him during the battle with the Chit'auri, they were far too busy protecting the people and stopping the aliens to do that.

When Fury told Natasha that she and Steve would be paired together as partners for SHIELD missions, she was a little thrilled knowing that she'd be working with him. That, of course, didn't dissuade her from bluntly telling him that she wasn't going to baby him on their missions together - although Steve was the _last_ person who'd need babying. In fact, he told her that, after fighting alongside her in New York, he knew he would look forward to working with her.

Now it had been a little over two years and Natasha considered Steve her closest friend, second only to Clint. That was impressive since she wasn't the trusting type, but Steve was so unlike any other man that she'd ever met. Being in his very presence was inspiring and made you _want_ him to be proud of you.

Part of being Steve's friend meant that he had to be able to trust you. Trust came hand in hand with loyalty and although Steve didn't demand it, he expected it. Especially from his teammates. Natasha had been on the opposite end of that spectrum once.

On the Lumerian Star, when he realized she had an assignment from Fury that she didn't tell him about, it made him angry. It was a rare instance that Steve was genuinely upset. Natasha hated disappointing him back then. She wanted him to know that he could trust her and that she would have his back no matter what. Which is why that moment between them in Sam's guest room gave her such a peace of mind.

When Steve told her that he trusted her as a friend and as a partner, she could scarcely believe it. She wasn't used to being trusted much. Even Fury kept her out of the circle of people who knew he was still alive and that hurt her. More so because, in a way, he was kind of a father figure to her.

Steve Rogers was not a man who trusted people easily, and after SHIELD fell, his trust was even **more** hard to earn. Still, Natasha fulfilled her part of their mutual promise and kept his trust, taking care not to damage their bond.

"Natasha."

Her green eyes shot up and she looked into Steve's blue ones. "Yeah? Everything okay with Sharon?"

He sat down on the bed next to her, a small smile gracing his features. "She's good. Just wanted to call and say goodbye before her flight out."

Natasha felt a sharp pang in her stomach. Knowing that it was Sharon who brought such a tender smile to Steve's face made her long to punch something. Jealousy was such a terrible thing.

"That was nice of her. The two of you must be pretty close now?"

"I suppose you could say that. As close as any brother and sister would be is the best description I could give for that."

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. **What?** _Brother and sister?_ Why would Steve refer to he and Sharon like that? Weren't they dating?

Natasha cleared her throat and did her best to sound as natural as possible. "What do you mean? I thought the two of you were kind of...leaning towards becoming more than just friends."

Steve furrowed his brow. "No, we're pretty platonic. Sharon is a good friend and I enjoy her company a lot, but that's all there is to it."

"...so you're not in a romantic relationship?"

A hearty laugh sounded from the blonde's lips and he ran a hand behind his head. No doubt, he was caught off guard by her question and that laugh led her to believe that her worst fears were nonexistent. "No, we're not. Neither of us planned for it either."

Ignoring the pounding sound of her heartbeat, Natasha boldly went on with her line of questioning, wanting to be one hundred and ten percent sure that Steve had absolutely zero romantic feelings whatsoever towards Sharon.

"But if you have no attachment to each other, why did you spend so much time with her the past week that she's been in New York? There hasn't been a **day** that I can recall **not** seeing her spending time with you." Against her better efforts, the question comes out with a tinge of possessiveness and bitterness to it and Natasha regretted it the second it left her mouth.

 _So much for concealing your emotions._

The grin was gone from Steve's face in an instant and there was a new light in his eyes that Natasha didn't want to think about. The next time he spoke, his voice was so tender and reassuring that he had obviously gotten wise to the reason behind her questions.

"She needed to talk to someone about Peggy. I'm the only one who knew her half as well as Sharon did. That's why she and I spent so much time together, Nat. We were...bonding over our connections to Peggy, nothing more than that. There's nothing romantic between us and there will never be."

It was incredibly difficult for Natasha to keep still after those last four words left Steve's lips. They almost sounded like a promise, a promise to-no. _Forget it, 't try to explore something that isn't there._ "Well...I'm sorry to hear that."

 _Liar_.

It took her a moment before she realized Steve had said that word out loud. Startled, Natasha looked up and shivered at the intense glare in his eyes. She didn't even have to tell him anything. From the look on his face, she could tell that he knew. Probably read her like a book and figured it out easily. Damn him for being so good at that.

The gaze of his probing eyes was too much for her and Natasha looked away, licking her lips nervously. She had made a complete idiot of herself, snapping at him like some jealous harpy. How embarrassing and totally unlike her. She felt an urge to escape.

"...I should go," she murmured.

Natasha stood up and began to back towards the door. Best to leave before things got awkward. Clint was wrong. If she told Steve how she felt, it would ruin everything for good between them. And she was not about to risk harming their close friendship because of it, even if not being with him would keep her up at night, agonising over the painful platonic nature of their relationship.

Before she could reach the door, Steve got in front of it, blocking Natasha from her escape. She swallowed and gave him a firm, yet shaky smile. Keeping herself calm was the best thing to do, even though she was a a trembling mess underneath that smile. She dared to meet his eyes with hers. "Something wrong?"

The only thing she saw was a little muscle twitch of his cheek before he wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her to him, crashing his lips against hers. The move was unexpected and made Natasha's legs stumble a little. Steve must have expected it, though, because he grabbed one of her thighs and pulled it close to him, pressing her soft body to his hard one.

Natasha rubbed herself up against Steve, causing them both to groan. Her hands went around his neck and he tightened his hold on her waist. She hissed, enjoying the possessive, yet gentle touch of his hands to her curves. Their first real kiss and he already knew how she liked to be touched. Steve was just gaining points for himself every second.

Natasha let him switch their positions and push her up against the wall. His hands smoothed over her backside and she wiggled in response. Both of them were breathing hard and Natasha found herself wishing that he'd toss her on her bed and take her. It wasn't as if she hadn't thought about it before.

There had been so many delicious dreams, bordering on sweetly sensual to wildly erotic that she had about the two of them. It was a miracle Natasha has been able to function all this time and keep herself from tearing his clothes off.

 _Maybe this time, my dreams will come true,_ she thought to herself with a smile.

After a few moments, his kisses ceased and Natasha tried hard not to pout. She looked up at Steve, waiting for an explanation.

There was a determinedness in his eyes as he spoke. "Nat...it was always you. I did call Sharon, like you told me, but I couldn't pursue her. Not when you were on my mind twenty-four seven. You've been driving me crazy ever since that day in New York. When you jumped off my shield and onto that Chit'auri craft, I was impressed. You kept surprising me by being honest about yourself."

"That talk we had in Sam's house...when you asked me to trust you? I didn't know how much it meant to you, knowing that I have faith in you, but I did then and I still do now. You've been so tough, fierce and independent that I couldn't help but feel pulled towards you."

For the first time in years, a red tint grew on Natasha's cheeks and she grinned impishly. Steve had the grace to look shocked and he blinked in disbelief. "Nat...are you really...?"

She poked his chest and let her finger run along his shirt, fingering the buttons. "Congratulations, Rogers. You're one of the few men in this world who have actually succeeded in making me blush. But seriously...thank you. That means a lot to me."

Steve clasped her other hand in his and kissed it gently. "You're welcome..."

Tentatively, she tugged Steve's collar down to her and he complied, pressing his lips to hers, this time in a more gentle way. Natasha let out a happy sigh and wrapped her arms around Steve's neck. Gradually, Steve's lips left her neck and ran down to her collarbone. He placed hot, wet kisses on her skin and Natasha shuddered in response.

Those crafty fingers began to make their way over Natasha's breasts and she moaned when Steve grasped the soft mound. He cupped her in his hands and tugged her shirt, kissing the exposed flesh he found.

Steve was really taking his sweet time about getting her bra off and Natasha wasn't sure how much longer she could take his lips against the fabric without touching the skin behind it. The little tease.

"Steve...take me to the bed. **Now**."

The blonde looked at her and smirked. "Yes ma'am."

Holding her safely in his arms, gave her backside a light squeeze and began walking to his bed. The wicked grin on his face made Natasha's insides turn to jelly. It was amazing how confident and sexy he was being with her in such an intimate way. This was an entirely different Steve Rogers than Natasha was used to, and she definitely liked the change.

Steve laid Natasha on the bed and leaned over her body. He cradled her cheek with his palm and gave her a tender kiss on her forehead. Then he entwined her fingers with his other hand, treating her as if she were a precious jewel.

Natasha felt her eyes fill with tears and she tried blinking them away because she didn't want Steve to worry about her. It didn't matter, though, because he saw the tears begin to form and he touched her shoulders.

"Nat? What's wrong? I didn't hurt you, did I?" His voice was full of concern.

The redhead shook her head and a few tears spilled down her cheeks. She wasn't used to being vulnerable like this, but Steve's gentleness was breaking through her defenses and made it hard for her to keep a handle on her emotions.

"No...you just...no one's ever treated me like this before..I don't know how to process it. I-I don't even know that I'm good enough for you either, Steve." Natasha closed her eyes, embarrassed.

She felt Steve tug her up in his arms until she was in his lap. Natasha opened her eyes and looked into his. Steve ran circles on her back as he spoke soothingly. "Nat...you _are_ good enough for me because I _want_ you. Nothing else matters. You're safe with me, I promise. Just...let me love you."

A soft whimper left her mouth and Natasha buried her face in Steve's chest. His hands held her tightly against him as he whispered loving words to her, rocking her back and forth. Eventually, Natasha pulled back, tears dry and sobs driven from her.

That night, she and Steve delighted in exploring each other's bodies, and for the first time in her life, Natasha made love. Steve was gentle and passionate as he slowly stroked his way into her warm depths. When it was over and they both cried out into the night as they reached the height of ecstasy, Natasha knew. Now, they were _lovers_.

As she began to succumb to sleep, Steve's warm body holding her against him. Nat smiled, thinking how amazing it felt to be safe and protected by a lover, her _true_ lover. She had never felt so welcomed and accepted in anyone else's arms before. This was home. _Steve_ was her home. She kissed him softly and whispered, " _я люблю тебя...I love you._ "


	8. One Dance

**This is a major WIP/experiment. Therefor, I take no responsibility for how my muse handled this. I'm just her messenger girl. There's good fluff towards the end, though. You know I love the fluff. ;)**

 _xxxXxxx_

 _Natasha is at her best friend Clint's birthday party, but there a big dance floor and she doesn't know how to dance, so she's stuck on the sidelines. Luckily, Steve offers to teach her and they get more than a little close._

 _xxxXxxx_

Natasha wasn't sure how much longer she could sit there watching people dance without being able to join them. Clint and Laura looked so serene while they danced together as did the rest of the couples.

Now, earlier, when the music was fun and upbeat, Natasha was out there dancing with everyone. She danced with each of Clint and Laura's kids. She loved those little munchkins and they felt the same way about her.

However, dancing to fast-paced music was easy and required little effort. Anyone could shake their hips and swing around in circles and not look too silly doing it. Pop songs and the like were meant to be danced to without much thought to the method of dancing.

Slow dancing was the problem. Natasha just couldn't get her feet to do what she wanted them to. It was like Sinatra's song 'I Won't Dance', except, Natasha really couldn't dance to slow songs or slow music period. It was pretty pathetic.

She had already told Clint a few minutes ago that she wasn't going to stick around much longer. The jealousy that ran through her as she watched the other couples on the dance floor was beginning to become too much for her. Natasha sat in her chair for a few more seconds, then she moved to pick up her purse. It was time to go.

"You're not leaving so soon, are you?"

Natasha furrowed her eyebrow and turned to face whoever it was that was speaking to her. When her eyes settled on Steve Rogers, she felt herself smile involuntarily. Steve was a nice guy. He met Clint through Laura because he was Laura's art history teacher for her first two years of college. After she graduated, Laura became Steve's assistant and worked with him for six years. With such a long association between the Barton's and Steve, Natasha had become used to seeing Steve whenever Clint and Laura invited her over to their house.

Sometimes she wondered if her friends had been trying to set her up with the handsome blonde, but Laura assured Natasha that wasn't the case. Steve and Natasha were Clint and Laura's best friends, so they naturally thought of the two of them whenever they thought about inviting friends over to their house.

They were both practically part of the family. Laura and Clint's children even called Natasha Auntie Nat and Uncle Steve. Natasha believed Laura when she said there was no intention of pairing her up with Steve, but it was Clint Nat was skeptical about. He **would** pull a stunt like setting Natasha up with Steve. It was right in his alley. Not that Natasha would have complained about it or anything. Steve Rogers was a stud and she did enjoy his company.

"Yeah, I've gotta go." Natasha motioned to the time on her cell phone. "It's too late for me. I gotta hit the hay."

Steve came closer and rested his hands against the chair next to Natasha. "Nat...we both know that you're a night owl. What's the real reason you're leaving? Is it because of the dancing?"

The redhead said nothing, just picked up her jacket and donned it. Steve was too good at reading people. Sometimes it really irked her. Especially when _she_ always seemed to be the one he knew almost as well as she knew herself.

"I can't dance, Rogers. You know that. I've tried, but my feet just aren't the best with coordination and rhythm." She wasn't embarrassed by this fact, but it did irritate her a lot.

Steve took Natasha's purse out of her hands and set it back down on the table. She glared at him in annoyance. "Just what are you doing?"

There was an expression on Steve's face that Natasha couldn't understand. He took her hand in his and led her to the dance floor. When Natasha realized what he was doing, she pulled back and stopped them from moving forward.

"Stop it, Rogers," she hissed, tone low and icy. Steve wasn't bothered by her attitude. Instead, he gave her a dazzling smile and said, "One dance. Just give me one dance and then you can go."

Natasha was about to pull back again and argue against it, but she relented. Better to allow him to dance with her than throw a hissy fit and draw unnecessary attention to the two of them. The last thing she needed to do was start drama at Clint's birthday party.

When they made it to the dance floor, Steve slid his arm around her and pulled her close to his body. It was much closer than they needed to be for the song that was playing, but Natasha found that she didn't mind. The warmth of Steve's body was very welcoming and she felt a little giddy being in his embrace.

It wasn't long before she stepped on his feet and he backed up a little, wincing. Natasha sighed and shook her head at him. Why did always had to be so stubborn?

"See? I told you. I can't dance."

Steely determination filled Steve's gaze and he gave her his 'now-see-here-young-lady' look. "That's ridiculous, Nat. _Anyone_ can dance, and that includes you. Take off the shoes, though, before you impale me and I end up on crutches."

Natasha crinkled her nose, but she did what he said, taking off her shoes, walking over to her table and placing them on her chair. Then she came back and stood in front of Steve. "Now what?"

He took her into his arms again. "Now, I'll show you how I learned how to dance when I was a kid. Put your feet on top of mine."

Okay. That actually made sense. Natasha did as he told her and she giggled when he began moving. There was something so funny to her about her stocking feet on top of his tennis shoes. Steve hooked his thumb under her chin and moved her head so her eyes met his own. "It's better if you look at me."

"But how will I know how and where to move if I don't look at my feet?" She started to look back down, but Steve pulled her head up again.

"You don't need to look. Just get used to the way I lead. After a while, your body will react instinctively to compliment my movements and we'll be able to dance in sync. Dancing isn't hard. It just takes practice."

As they danced around the room, Natasha realized how right Steve was. She stood on his feet for three songs and she was beginning to sense where he would move before he actually started moving. A little smile formed on her lips and she rested her head on his shoulder.

Steve was nearly a head taller than she was, but their bodies fit perfectly together. It was very comforting being held like this. Natasha felt like she could fall asleep right here in Steve's arms. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen.

The lights in the dining hall clicked on and the music stopped abruptly. Natasha and Steve opened their eyes and saw that they were the only ones on the dance floor. Her cheeks turned beet red as she realized that she and Steve had been so caught up in the moment that they didn't notice anyone else but each other.

Clint was standing at the DJ's stage and he spoke into his microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, I hate to break the mood, but it's eleven thirty and I don't know about you, but I have a few sleepy kids that need sleep. Thank you very much for coming out tonight and have a safe drive home. Oh and don't worry, I won't be returning any of the presents except the lame foam finger you bought me, Tony."

Tony yelled out, "You know you love it!' and everyone laughed in response.

"Good night everyone!" Clint said before handing the DJ his microphone back.

Natasha frowned and inwardly cursed Clint for his terrible lack of timing. She blew out an exasperated breath before pulling back from Steve and giving him a smile. "Well, thanks for showing me how to dance, Rogers. I won't forget it."

She gave him a quick hug and went back to her table to collect her things. Natasha forced herself not to look back at Steve because she probably would have done something stupid like kiss him. She had wanted to kiss him every since the moment they first met at Clint and Laura's farmhouse.

The way Steve's face lit up when he talked about art was fascinating. Natasha had never met anyone who was so in love with their work before. For the last eight months that she had known him, Natasha had grown to really like him. Clint and Laura suspected this was such, but they never pushed her about it. Natasha wasn't the kind of person to put herself on the line and tell someone how she felt unless she was sure that the person felt the same way.

After giving Clint and his family goodbye hugs and promising to visit them later on in the week, Natasha headed out of the building and went to her car. She had just put her purse down and slid the key into the ignition when there was a knock at her window.

Natasha opened her car door and nearly hit Steve, who jumped back before the door could bump into him.

"Whoa, hey! Want are you trying to do, Romanov. Kill me?"

She rolled her eyes and put her hands on the steering wheel. "Nope. What's up? Did I leave something on table? Something fell out of my purse?"

"No...remember when I told you that learning to dance wasn't difficult?"

"Yeah."

"Well...it takes more than one lesson before you can master it. That is, if you'd be interested."

"Are you telling me that you teach dance class too?" An amused tilt made its way through Natasha's voice and she raised a mischievous eyebrow at the blonde.

"Every Saturday. My mom taught me a lot of the classic dances. The waltz, the rhumba, the cha cha, the salsa, the meringue, the quadrille. She used to dance professionally and wanted to pass the knowledge on, so she started me off when I was four." Steve rested his arm on the car door and Natasha tensed a little. He was standing awful close to her. Was the proximity of his body supposed to be throwing off signals to her that her was attracted to her? She watched his eyes carefully and was annoyed that she couldn't read the emotion there.

"That's impressive, Rogers. Your mother must have been an exceptional woman to be willing to teach you so much and at so young an age. I don't think I know many people who can claim to know half as many of the dances you mentioned."

"Thank you. There's always going to be an interest in dancing. My mom knew that, so she taught me on the off chance that I could use it to my advantage and so I could have a healthy way to have fun."

"Ah, that was smart of her. Well...I really do have to be going now. It's late for me and I have somewhere to be in the morning..." Natasha put her hand on the door handle, but Steve covered her hand with his. Her heart began to beat furiously when his skin touched hers. Why was he holding her hand? She gave him a questioning look.

"Natasha..."

"Yeah, Steve?"

He stood there for a moment, just looking into her eyes. Damn, it was hard to keep her eyes focused on his eyes when those delectable lips were so close in her line of vision. With a start, she realized that he was looking at her lips as well. Steve suddenly tugged on her hand, yanking Natasha to her feet and into his arms. Without a word, he pressed his lips to hers.

 _Finally_.

Natasha sighed and put her arms around Steve's neck which pulled their bodies closer together and caused a bit of delicious friction between the two of them. A moan escaped Natasha's lips and had to move her mouth away from Steve's after a few seconds so she could catch her breath.

"So...that's kissing you feels like. Nice." Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper. It had been a long time since Natasha had been kissed so passionately before and she was definitely going to enjoy as much of this moment as she possibly could.

Steve held his head against hers and chuckled lightly. "I was thinking the same thing. Nat...I want to take you out this week. We could have a private dancing lesson, then get something to eat if you want. I just want to spend time with you, if that's okay."

He was astonishingly modest, even after kissing her. Natasha gripped his hand in hers and gave it a small kiss. "I'm all for it. Dancing lessons, dinner, movie, ice skating. You make the occasion; I'll be there."

Steve grinned and leaned down to capture her lips with his again. This time he took a chance and ran his tongue along the seam of Natasha's lips. The redhead moaned at the action and opened her mouth, letting Steve massage her tongue with his own. She ran her hands to his hair and squeezed his body more tightly to hers. God, he felt amazing. All hard and hot against her. Natasha felt her thighs begin to shake with the power of that kiss and her lower walls clamped down in excitement. The friction between them grew to unbearable levels and they had to pull away from each other again.

Steve and Natasha panted, never taking their eyes off each other. He kissed the back of her hand gently. "It's a date."

"A lot of dates," she quickly responded.

He laughed and smoothed his thumbs over her elbows. His voice sounded so husky with lust. "Deal. I'd better let you go now or else I might be tempted to do more than just kiss you."

Natasha's pupils dilated in arousal and she leaned forward to kiss Steve just one more time. This time, she kept the kiss light and retreated before things could get steamer. Getting in her car, she closed the door and gave Steve a smile. "So tomorrow?"

Steve looked down on her with fire in his eyes as he replied, "Tomorrow. Seven o'clock. How does a picnic sound?"

A picnic? Natasha couldn't recall the last time she had ever gone on a picnic. Her eyes widened and she laughed lightly. "Oh, a picnic sounds fantastic."

"Great...see you then."

"I'll count the minutes."

"Don't count for too long. You need as much sleep as you can get."

She gave him a salute. "Yes, sir!"

Steve chuckled and stroked her chin. Then he moved back and nodded to the street. "Alright, get outta here, Romanov."

"Bye, Rogers," she said softly.

As Natasha drove home, she knew those amazing kisses would stay with her and cling to her memory, long after sleep came. When she finally got home and climbed into bed, Natasha held on to her pillow with one thought running through her mind.

 _I can hardly wait for tomorrow._

 _xxxXxxx_

 **I don't know what I'm doing with my life.**


	9. Just A Little Kink

**Slightly canon divergent. Steve's back hurts and Natasha decides to give him a nice massage so she won't have to hear his moaning, even though she does like listening to those delicious sounds as they leave his mouth.**

 _xxxXxxx_

"Mmgh."

Natasha's head raised and she lowered her book to look at Steve. That was the third time he'd groaned in the last five minutes. Something was up and he wasn't talking. Clearing her throat, the redhead spoke up.

"Steve, what's wrong?"

The blonde turned in her direction from where he sat and tried to give her a disarming grin. Natasha was very familiar with it. It was the look Steve would give someone to convince them that he was fine even though he really wasn't and just didn't want any attention drawn to himself.

"I'm okay, Nat. It's nothing."

She raised her eyebrow, but said not a word. Instead, she raised her book up and picked up from the chapter she left off. Ten seconds hadn't passed before Steve groaned again. Natasha glanced at Steve, her eyes taking in his form as he sat at the kitchen counter.

He was likely feeling the effects of his training with the Avengers. Steve had been pushing himself to the absolute limits, out of, what Natasha suspected, was frustration over not being able to locate Bucky.

Steve's anger was understandable and Natasha sympathised with him, but the excess strain he was putting on his body was not good. He was a super soldier, but even he was not completely impervious to pain.

There came yet another groan and Natasha scowled, shutting her book and standing up to make her way over to him. Once she reached him, she touched his shoulder. Steve gave her that ridiculous smile.

"Honestly, Nat. It's just a little kink, is all."

She rolled her eyes and ignored his lie."No offence, Rogers, but as much as I'd like to continue hearing you moan, I'm afraid my ears couldn't handle it while I'm trying to read. The thought of you grunting all day leaves a bad taste in my mouth too, so I've decided to help you. Come on."

With Natasha's hand on Steve's arm, tugging him forward, he had no choice but to follow. What she lacked for in height, she definitely made up for in strength. Steve had always been fascinated by Nat's agility and dexterity. It was rare for him to meet a woman who he could actually match up well with as a partner, but Natasha was indeed, the perfect one for him. In battle, that is.

"Where are we going, Nat?"

"To my room. I have something that I think will help those little kinks in your back."

Steve faltered. Suddenly, his mind recalled a few of the practices people in the twenty-first century did to remove pain from their bodies. "Uh...you wouldn't be talking about acupuncture needles, would you? Because I've read up on them and I have to say that there is no way I would be comfortable having a bunch of tiny needles put into my back, even for getting rid of pain."

Natasha tugged him forward, not to be deterred. "No, I don't have any acupuncture needles with me. Although, I have had it done to me in the past and they don't really hurt. That is, if you get the right people to apply them to your back."

They reached her room and Natasha motioned for Steve to lay on her bed while she went into the small black trunk in her closet to find her special muscle tonic. After a few minutes, she found the little amber bottle and went to her bed, sitting on it.

Steve looked at the bottle curiously. "What's that?"

"A little muscle tonic that I made. Take off your shirt and I'll rub some on your back."

"What's in it?"

There was no panic in his voice, merely curiosity. Natasha gave him a smile and had to bite her tongue when he removed his shirt. Damn, he was ripped. Of course, she already had been aware of how physically fit Steve was, but it wasn't every day she saw him without a shirt. The sight was quite nice.

"It's a blend of aloe vera, dsmo, a few essential oils and herbs to help with pain. When I rub this on your back, it'll be absorbed into your skin and you'll feel a slight tingling. That means the tonic is working and helping your muscles unclench and relax."

Natasha spread the oil on her hands and began to massage it onto Steve's skin. He moaned, but this time, it was an appreciative sound instead of a painful one. She smiled and tried not to enjoy it to much, but it was hard. Steve had a sexy voice, especially when he spoke in low tones.

As Natasha touched his skin, he made a loud grunt and punched her pillow. Once she saw that, Natasha immediately stopped rubbing his back and moved to face him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah...you just hit a hot spot. That's the area that's been bothering me."

The redhead grinned and put some more oil in her hands. She then leaned back over and rubbed the tonic on Steve's shoulder, this time a bit slower so she could really get into his muscles.

"Well, it won't bother you for too much longer. This stuff works wonders. If you want, I can give you the ingredients so you can make some for yourself. I find home remedies cheaper and better for the body than getting some over-the-counter prescription garbage."

This little tidbit Natasha revealed to Steve made him like her even more. Since he'd grown up in the early 1900s, he was used to the holistic homeopathic medicines that his mother would make for him whenever he got hurt. Thankfully, with the super soldier serum in his body, Steve didn't have to be so particular about what he put into his body, although, he still had better health and eating habits than most Americans.

"That's good, Nat. I've had a lot of experience with natural foods and medicines too. There's a lot of chemicals used in products today. Makes me glad that I kept my mother's book of herbal remedies and healthy foods. She thought of everything I would need for...after she was gone."

The change of tone in Steve's voice when he mentioned his mother made Natasha sober. At least he had good memories of his mother. From the things he'd said about her, Sarah Rogers was an upstanding woman who cared very dearly about her only son. If only Natasha could say the same about her own mother.

After spending a considerable amount of time on his back, Natasha gave her fingers a break, clenching and unclenching them to get the numbness out. Steve breathed a heavy sigh of relief and she smiled at him.

"Any other stiff places?"

"Mm...if you could get the other side of my shoulders, that would be good. Unless your hands are tired. You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Don't be ridiculous, Rogers. If I rubbed your back for ten minutes, I can do your shoulders too." She motioned for him to turn around and sit back so she could move in front of him. When he did, she began to massage the tonic onto his shoulders gently. Steve winced, so she made sure to keep her ministrations light.

The light from her window gave Natasha a nice look at Steve's pectorals and washboard abs. He was sinfully delicious to look at. Natasha silently thanked Steve for keeping his eyes closed while she rubbed him. His moaning was already getting her keyed up and the rise and fall of his chest threatened to make her go insane with lust.

Natasha's mind began to go places it didn't need to. Like how Steve looked so comfortable and right at home laying on her bed. Like, if she were willing to risk it, would he let her curl up against his warm body and hold him. Like if she gave him a kiss, maybe they would end up tangled in the sheets together, naked limbs and gasping breaths filling each other's senses as they gave in to their pleasure.

The power of those dirty thoughts and images were enough to make Natasha gasp and she shook her head, trying to get her mind free of them. "Shit," she muttered to herself, trying desperately to rein in her arousal.

"Nat? Are you okay?"

It took several seconds before Natasha realised that Steve was calling her name. By the time she opened her eyes, he was sitting up, watching her with a concerned look on his face. Good grief, he was an Adonis and completely clueless about his effect on her. It took all of her strength not to lick her lips or jump him and crush her mouth to his. Damn him for being so desirable.

"Yeah...it's just a little hot in here. I'm starting to burn up." She wiped at her forehead to make him believe that she was in earnest.

That was still a very lame excuse to waive off his concerns, but Natasha actually was beginning to feel a little heated, no thanks to him. Steve put a hand to her forehead and she blinked in surprise at the action.

"Hmm, you do feel warm. You're not sick are you?"

Natasha chuckled and shook her head. She could count on one hand how many times she'd been sick in her twenty-nine years. "I hardly ever get sick, Rogers."

"Well, maybe you need some fresh air. Take a walk in the park, have a picnic, go to the zoo." The concern on his face was touching. Steve Rogers was always putting his team first. On the fields and in his personal life. He was so selfless.

Natasha cocked her head to the side and observed him carefully. "Well, that sounds good, Rogers. Any other ideas for me on how to spend time outside?"

"There's a great diner in Brooklyn that I know of. They have a few tables that you can eat at outside. You've probably never been there, but they have the best milkshakes you will ever drink."

The excitement in Steve's voice made Natasha grin. He sounded like a little kid talking about his favourite candy store. She leaned back against her headboard and gave him a slight mischievous look. "Are you asking me out on a _date_ , Steve?"

Instead of coughing awkwardly or reaching behind his head to scratch his neck - these are the things Steve was prone to do when he was nervous - he gazed back into Natasha's green eyes, unfaltering.

"You're damn right I am," he whispered.

Natasha's eyebrows raised and she nudged him with her knee. Such confidence exuded from that little sentence. She was proud of him for not backing down or trying to change the subject. Still, she had to tease him.

"Language, Rogers."

There was a glint in Steve's eyes that Natasha couldn't read and he suddenly tugged one of her legs, pulling her down so he could cover her body with his own.

Natasha scoffed in mock offence as he got on top of her. "Well, I didn't know that foreplay was your thing, Steve. You should be careful. I know how difficult it can be for you older men to get it st-"

She never finished her sentence because Steve's lips came crashing down on hers, smothering her sarcastic remark. Natasha moaned and wrapped her legs around his waist, moving their bodies closer together. Steve's tongue expertly lapped at her upper lip and she sighed. He took that opening and let his tongue glide into her mouth. His hands groped at her sides, tightening their embrace. Natasha's head grew dizzy from the intensity of the kiss.

After what felt like an eternity, they pulled back for a respite, both breathing heavily. Natasha grazed Steve's bicep with her fingers and she smiled up at him. "So...what do you say we go get that milkshake you were telling me about?"

Steve furrowed his brow. "You want to go now?"

"Well, it's either that or we stay in this bed, tear our clothes off and screw each other's brains out. And as much as that sounds appealing, it doesn't really scream 'first date' to me."

"Uh...yeah. That wouldn't be the right way to start things off..." An adorable redness had grown on Steve's cheeks and Natasha bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing out loud. He really was a Boy Scout through and through.

After leaning upwards to give him a light kiss and a wink, Natasha slid out from under him and walked over to her closet. Before she went inside, she turned back to look at him. "Tell you what, Steve. If you get me a order of fries on the side, you _may_ just get lucky tonight."

She was **never** going to get tired of seeing him blush.

 _xxxXxxx_

 **I just adore the cute relationship stuff: flirting, hugs, hand-holding, cuddles and fluff! I love it all!**


	10. Tethered

**F.L.U.F.F.**

 _xxxXxxx_

 _Natasha gets injured on a mission and Steve overreacts. Both reveal their feelings for each other and finally get clarity and Nat gets a little surprise._

 _xxxXxxx_

As the aircraft took Steve and Natasha back to Washington after their successful mission, Steve turned to Natasha, anger written all over his face. "Nat, don't ever pull a stunt like that again."

Natasha let out a chuckle, then winced as pain shot through her right arm. When they were making their way back to the landing point rendezvous, Natasha had been shot taking a bullet for Steve. Well, really, she threw herself into the path of the bullet. Steve had quickly taken out the gunman with a well-aimed throw of his shield. When he turned back to look at Nat, he had never felt so frightened before in his life.

Even though the wound wasn't life-threatening, she'd still lost a lot of blood. Luckily, they had an emergency medic in the quinjet, so when Steve helped get Natasha on the plane, her arm was treated and bandaged carefully.

"Mmgh, Steve, don't start, alright? I've been wounded by bullets long before I ever met you. I'm used to taking a hit."

Steve, however, wasn't hearing any of it and he crossed his arms. "I don't **care** if you've been shot at and wounded a million times. I still don't want you to take a bullet for my sake. If I get hit, my super soldier serum can fix it. There's a greater chance of your dying if you get hurt because you're weaker than me."

Natasha's nose flared and she scowled at him. " 'Weaker than you'? Wow, Rogers, how wonderfully shallow. If I weren't injured, I'd fight you for saying that. Listen, I don't just take a bullet for anyone, but you're my teammate and my friend and..." She wanted to say 'The man I love', but she wasn't ready to proclaim something so intimate, especially on this aircraft. Still, she needed him to know that she did feel for him, that she wasn't as blasé and indifferent to his presence as she led him to believe in the past. They had been doing this dance for years and it was beyond getting old.

"I only take a bullet for people that I care about. I care about you." Those last four words were pointed and she made sure that the emphasis was put on 'you'. Steve looked down at her, surprised. Natasha could feel the heat on her cheeks and she forced herself to look away. Suddenly, the words came pouring out of her like a waterfall and she couldn't stop them.

"Nothing matters more than you do, not the mission, not our objective, nothing. I would gladly let the world burn if it meant spending one more day with you, Steve, and that...compromises me to the mission. Maybe I should request Fury give me single assignments so I don't put myself at risk like this..."

Steve took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. "No, you don't have to do something like that. We're a great team and we compliment each other. I can't imagine having a better partner than you by my side. We can find some way to work it out, Nat. I need you."

Tears began to run down Natasha's face. Never in her life had she dreamed he would say something like this to her. She wasn't sure how to take it. After a few moments of silence, she looked up at him again, hope shining in her eyes. "Do you really mean that? You...need me?"

Steve just smiled and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Yes, I need you. As my partner on the field and in my life too."

Natasha gave him a mischievous cat-like grin. "That...almost sounds like a marriage proposal, Rogers."

"It is."

Her eyes widened and she stared at him. To her shock, Steve got down on one knee and pulled out a small, square box. Natasha's lips opened and she gasped. She tried to speak, but no words came out. All she could do at the moment was stare.

"Natalia Alianovna Romanova, from the moment I first met you and the day we fought together in the battle of New York, I was fascinated by you. You've made the past few years the most memorable of my life. You're one of the toughest women I know and probably THE toughest one I ever will know. We've been partners, Avengers and we've been through a lot together. You're one of the few people on this planet that I trust completely with my life and I know you feel the same. I've been proud to call you my friend, but I don't want us to just be friends anymore. I want us to be partners for real, standing side by side, committed to each other as husband and wife. So, I have one question to ask you. Will you marry me?"

He opened the box and there rested a beautiful white solitaire diamond. It was the most beautiful thing Natasha had ever seen. She reached out and touched it, her voice barely a whisper as she said, "Oh, Steve...it's white?"

"Yes. I chose white because no matter what you have done in the past, you're still perfect for me. You've redeemed yourself from all of your wrongdoings and you have nothing to prove to anyone that you've changed, because you have. I see it, our friends see it. You have a clean slate, Nat. Your ledger isn't red any longer. I love you and I don't care about your past. Every time you look at this ring, it'll remind you of that."

By this time, Natasha's head was on Steve's shoulder and she was crying, unsure of how to respond. She had never felt such love from anyone in her entire life. Steve's words were like a balm to her soul and she sobbed from the realization that, for the first time, someone _really_ accepted her.

Steve just held her for a few minutes, knowing that she needed time to process. He was a patient man, so he waited, rubbing circles on her back as she cried. Finally, she pulled away and there was a big smile was on her face. It was an infectious smile and Steve found himself smiling right back at her.

"Do I get an answer this time?" He asked her playfully.

"Yes! Yes, I'll marry you!" She nearly squealed.

"I was hoping you'd accept." Steve's tone was full of teasing and he kept his eyes on hers as he pulled the ring out of the little box and slid it onto Natasha's finger. Her eyes focused on the ring and she still felt so joyful. It was almost like a dream. Steve sat next to her and leaned forward, whispering to her, " _Natasha Rogers_. I like the sound of that."

"So do I." Natasha touched Steve's cheek with her hand, caressing it lightly. "Steve...I love you." She finally let her lips say what her heart had known for many years. He entwined his fingers with hers and kissed her knuckles.

"And I love you, Nat. I can't wait to start a life with you."

Their lips met in a soft kiss. Eventually, they had to pull back to catch their mutual breaths from the intensity of the kiss, but they continued to hold each other's hands, their foreheads touching. Steve and Natasha were bound by a solemn promise, a vow to love, honor, protect cherish each other. Their souls were now tethered together forever...as one.

 _xxxXxxx_

 **Good grief, so much schmaltz and fluff. I might have to kill someone off in the next fic to break the monotony.**


	11. The Artful Black Widow

_Natasha is a pickpocket. Unfortunately, she picked the wrong man to steal from this time. Steve Rogers doesn't play around with thieves, although the lovely redhead who attempts to steal his wallet intrigues him._

 **xxxXxxx**

He could sense the person before he felt them. Whoever he was, the guy was pretty gifted. Bold too. Trying to lift a man's wallet in broad daylight on a busy street where people could see. The punk picked the wrong person to mess with this time, though, Steve thought to himself with a scowl.

Luckily, there was an alley just on his right and if he timed it properly, Steve could grab the thief, drag him into the alley with him and put a little fear in him.

In a split second, Steve grabbed and twisted the wrist of the man behind him and using the element of surprise on the punk, he pulled him into the alley, slamming him against the brick wall.

A low moan came from the would-be thief's lips and Steve smirked, pushing back the hood of his jacket to get a look at him. However, the corner of his lips fell when he realised that this thief was not a man, but in fact, a young woman. She had piercing green eyes and hair as red as blood framed her face. There was a little patch of dirt on her cheek and her eyes were full of anger and suspicion. Through the anger, Steve could see that she was tired.

Judging from her clothes, maybe not. She was wearing a pair of chucks, black skinny jeans and an unzipped hoodie with a yellow t shirt underneath it. The clothes were a bit rumpled, but they didn't seem dirty and she certainly didn't smell like a homeless person.

"Let me go," she hissed, trying to free her twisted wrist away from him.

Steve lessened his grip on her wrist, but he didn't let go of her. Instead, he glared, the former feeling of shock that she was a woman fading away and being replaced by indignation. "Why did you try to steal from me?"

The girl had enough gall to scoff as if he had asked her a ridiculous question. "Why else do people steal from the privileged?"

"I'm hardly privileged, miss."

The redhead's brows furrowed and she raised an eyebrow at him. " _'Miss'_? Boy, are you cordial. I guess mommy and daddy taught you manners. Although you suck at treating women respectfully." She tried to knee him in the crotch, but he sensed the hit coming and blocked it with his free hand.

She had some nerve. "You were trying to steal from from me! I was just minding my own business when you decided it would be cute to rob me of my wallet." He cocked his head to the side. "Don't you think a job would be much better than going around robbing random strangers?"

"...No."

"So theft is better? Listen, even if you've got a job bagging groceries at a supermarket or being a waitress at some restaurant, it's still a whole lot better than stealing. And your dignity remains intact. If you're stealing for drugs, it's only going to be a temporary fix." Steve had no idea why he was trying to help the girl.

The girl stared at him for a few seconds, eyes wide as two gold pieces. "No way. Are you seriously trying to convert me? Turn me into a good, hardworking citizen like you? Man, you must get off on condescension." She threw her head back and laughed.

Okay, what the hell was that supposed to mean? Steve ignored the warmth that rushed through him at the sound of her rich timbre and scowled at her. "I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, _please_. Don't play coy with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about. It's people like you who cause problems in the world. Why is it that, because I tried to steal from you, I must be out of work or desperate for money or trying to score some drugs? For your information, Dr. Phil, I do have a job, and I also happen to like it. Stealing is just for fun." She giggled after this, plump lips turned up in a saucy grin.

A lot of emotions were boiling around in the pit of Steve's stomach: anger, frustration, embarrassment, annoyance, but hearing this girl laugh at him was a big blow to his ego. She must have thought that he was one of those rich snobs who only looked down on the middle class people. Well, she suffered from a serious delusion if she thought that was his story. His eyes flashed to her full, parted lips before he spoke.

"Look, red, you don't know the first thing about me. If you think that I'm rich, you're very mistaken. I'm not wallowing in millions. I'm an art history teacher and I'm sure you, like most people, know that teaching is a labor of love, not salary."

Honestly, it was ridiculous for him to try and explain himself to her. He didn't even know her and she tried to steal from him, and Steve had a feeling that she was used to doing this quite a lot.

"Oh, you're a teacher. How classically bleeding heart. Lemme guess. You teach in one of those rough inner city schools and you're hoping to pull a stand and deliver on the students and make them care about education? Now, that's noble, but I wonder if you don't feel that way because you just want to get a good name for yourself, so you can transfer out of the hellhole to some fancy school in the nice part of the city. Am I close?" She began to cackle.

Steve had never encountered anyone with such an acid tongue in all his life. It was a cruel joke that such a bad tempered woman was so good-looking. She didn't seem like she was scared of anything. Hell, even when he had her wrist against the wall, she seemed unbothered by it. Like she was in control of the entire situation. After those nasty comments about his career, Steve itched to teach this little minx a lesson.

Grimacing, he grabbed her other hand and tugged her with him as he moved forward to the street. "We'll see what the police have to say about it. I wouldn't be surprised at all to find out that they know your face well. They may even thank me for turning you in. I'd be doing a public service."

At this, the redhead froze in place and pulled back from Steve, but his grip was like iron. She was going nowhere. "No, don't take me to the precinct. Please."

For once, she sounded genuinely afraid. Even her emerald eyes were full of alarm and Steve felt himself wondering why, but he didn't want her to think that he cared because he _didn't_...yet he was curious.

Still wanting payback for those harsh words about him and the school he taught at, he said, "Why? Does your father work there or something? You don't want him to know what his little girl is up to on Saturday mornings?"

The frightened look on her face vanished in a mere instant once Steve mentioned her father. Her green eyes gave him a sharp, disdainful glare and she crossed her arms. Clearly, he had touched a nerve. Good.

"No. I don't have a father...but there are people downtown who would love to get their hands on me." Suddenly, she drew up her hoodie and zipped it up. "As much as I love flirting with danger, I don't need the cops on my tail."

Steve couldn't stop the sarcasm in his voice as he replied, "Why? Did you steal from them too?"

She rolled her eyes and rubbed her wrist. "You're a gifted comedian. How about a truce? You promise not to turn me in to the police and I don't tell them that you attacked me."

"Wait a minute, I didn't-"

As Steve began to sputter and defend himself, the redhead casually held up her wrist to his face. "You sprained it, so I think that would be enough reason to question you at the very least. So, as I said before, a truce would be in order between us, don't you think?"

She did have a valid a point, which he begrudgingly acknowledged. This woman was a force to be reckoned with. She must keep herself prepared for anything, even for a guy like him, who was so convinced that he had her right under his thumb.

The redhead held out her hand to him and Steve reluctantly shook it, a scowl on his face. There weren't many people who got the best of him like this. He tended to be the kind of person who was prepared for troublemakers, but this girl was different. She had angles upon angles. Steve found himself wanting to know who she was and how she got that way.

 _You win this round, you minx, but we'll see who comes out on top next time around._

Her eyes looked over him once more and she stepped back towards the street. "Well, this has been a lot of fun, old man, but I really have to be moving al-" Before she could finished her sentence, her stomach gurgled. Loudly. Two bright red spots appeared on her cheeks and Steve chuckled.

"So you're hungry. Is that why you tried stealing my wallet?"

"Maybe," she said, kicking a dented can with her shoe.

It was no use. He wouldn't get anything out of her like this. She was still too defensive and probably a little suspicious too, from what he could see. For some bizarre reason, Steve decided to play the Good Samaritan for a change.

"Come on. It's obvious that you're hungry. I don't know where you come from or when you last ate, but it's clear that you haven't eaten in a while."

"So?" Her voice was hard, like steel. Damn, she was a tough nut to break. Steve wouldn't mind trying to crack her, though. He was a patient man.

"So I propose as part of our truce, that you let me treat you to lunch."

The incredulous look on her face was worth him saying those words a million times over. She blinked several times and her mouth opened and closed more than once. Speechless. Guess that could be chalked up to a win.

"You want to buy me lunch? After I tried to steal from you?!"

"Yes."

She peered at him and crossed her arm, shaking her head. "...I think **you're** the one on drugs."

"Does that mean you're accepting?" She wasn't going to get out of it so easily. Steve was intrigued by this red haired vixen and he was determined to find out more about her.

"I-" her stomach gurgled again, louder and noisier than he last time. She covered her belly with her hands and frowned. He was right. She hadn't eaten in quite a few days and her body was betraying her to that. Who was she to turn down free food? "Oh, fine. You can buy me lunch."

Good. Now for the surprise. "Alright. I will treat you to lunch on one condition."

Those brilliant green eyes widened and she backed away from him a few feet. The glare in her eyes was reminiscent of a threatened cat.

"I'm not going to sleep with you, so if that's what you're thinking, you can go straight to hell."

From the strained tone of her voice, Steve guessed that she had experienced that with other people. A pang struck him in the gut and he felt such compassion for this woman, this beautiful young waif.

"No, no. I didn't mean that. I would **never** hurt a woman in that way. My mother raised me to always treat women with respect and please believe me when I say that there are no sexual motives for my actions."

The truth was laced in his words and she grew less tense once she saw that he was being honest with her. She rubbed her wrist again and muttered in a bare whisper, "So what are your conditions, then?"

"That you answer five questions to me about yourself."

Her head jerked up and she stared at him like he'd spontaneously grown two heads. No one in her life had ever cared much about her, especially not a stranger. She wasn't sure how to take it.

"So you want to play a game?"

"No, I just want to know five things about you, that's all. It'll make it easier, eating with me since we're perfect strangers. For instance...what's your name?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Why do you need to know that?"

Was she paranoid about people knowing her name? This woman was getting to be more of a challenge the longer he talked to her. Too bad he found that interesting.  
"Because I can't go around calling you ' _minx_ ' or ' _vixen_ ', now can I?"

 _That might have been a dumb thing to say,_ Steve thought. _Now she's going to think that you've already called her those names in your head, which you have, but to admit that would be humiliating._

Instead of getting defensive again, though, she pursed her lips and thought for a moment. He did have a point. There was no point in keeping him from knowing her name. It's not like she'd be telling him her full name and address...

"Natasha."

Steve's lips curled up and he nodded. It was a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. "Well, Natasha. I'm Steve. It's nice to meet you...finally."

"Mm. Quid pro quo. If you know five things about me, then I want to know five things about you. It's only fair."

Okay. He was not expecting that at all, but it seemed reasonable enough. "Ah, why not? Whatever you want to know, I'll tell you."

"Fine by me. In return, I'll answer any question you ask about me...within reason, that is. Then we'll both go our separate ways and never see each other again."

Boy, was _she_ quick on the demands.

"Alright...and if you don't get around to asking me five things?" He asked her innocently.

Natasha turned and walked to the street. Steve followed her silently, waiting for her to reply. After a few long moments of watching the cars go by, she gave him a sly glance. There was a saucy tilt to her voice as she purred, "Oh, don't worry. I _always_ come to collect~"


	12. Tell Her About It

**A/N/: I was editing a picture of Annie and Evan from The Nanny Diaries when this prompt came floating into my head. :D**

 _xxxXxxx_

Steve and Natasha have been best friends for years. Steve, however, has feeling for Nat and decides that it's time to let her know.

 _xxxXxxx_

 _Tell her about it; tell her everything you feel  
Give her every reason to accept that you're for real_

\- Billy Joel

Steve came over and sat next to Natasha at their favourite spot in the city: the water fountain. They had confided a lot of things to each other by that fountain. Many things, both deep and personal, trifle and superficial, had been revealed between the two of them here, which is just as it should be with best friends.

This time, Steve had something _very_ important to tell Natasha, but he wasn't sure how she'd take it. What he had to tell her was something he'd never told anyone else in his entire life and telling her would put him in a very awkward position if she responded unfavorably.

The redhead looked up when she heard him approach and smiled. "Hey, friend."

"Hey, Nat," he replied. There was an intense look on his face because of the thoughts bouncing around in his mind. This serious expression was not lost on Natasha and she cocked her head to the side. "Penny for your thoughts, Rogers," she said.

Steve smirked and rolled his sleeves up, exposing his tanned arms to the sun. "Nat...we've been friends a long time, haven't we?"

She nodded and crossed her legs under her body. "Yeah, ever since elementary school." Natasha wondered what he was bringing that up for. Her birthday was two months away, so he couldn't be giving her an advance birthday gift - although, if he _did_ , she wouldn't complain about it.

He took in a deep breath before going on. "Right, and I was thinking that maybe we could spend some time together tonight."

Natasha's green eyes were filled with confusion and she pursed her lips. "Steve, we hang out once a week, and usually, at night. What makes this so different?"

"It's different this time because...I like you." He took her hand in his, eyes locking onto hers.

She chuckled lightly and squeezed his hand back, unused to such a display of affection from him. They were very close, always giving each other hugs, pats on the back, kisses on the cheek, but Natasha couldn't recall the last time they held hands. It had most certainly been years.

"Well, I'm glad that you **do** like me. Here I was, thinking that you were just hanging around because you hated my guts." She teased him gently, nudging his shoulder and he laughed in response. As she watched him, she saw there was something in his eyes, a new light that she'd never seen before. Suddenly, the intensity of his gaze made sense to her and she realised that by 'I like you' he meant 'I _like_ you'.

Her cheeks got as red as a tomato and she gasped, feeling so foolish for not noticing his feelings sooner. "Oh, Steve...I never knew. How long have you felt like this?" She now ran her hand over his, holding it like it was a cherished possession.

"From the first day I met you. In elementary school."

"Really?!" Now she felt like a big fool. How could she have been so blind? Steve Rogers was her best friend and she was completely clueless about him. If there was any moment in her life that felt like a cliche in a stupid romantic comedy, it was now.

"You must think I'm an idiot..."

Steve rubbed her shoulder with his free hand and laughed. "No, Nat. I would never think that about you. I hid my feelings from you because I was afraid that you'd be mad. That and I wasn't confident enough to believe that you wouldn't laugh at me if I told you."

"Well, I'm glad you finally got the guts to ask me out now! Like the saying goes, _better late than never_ , right?" Natasha gave Steve a pensive look for a few seconds, trying to decide something. Silently making her decision, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

Steve froze for a moment, taken by surprise by this action, but he quickly got over it and kissed her back. He moved his hands to her cheeks, caressing her face gently.

Natasha would have been lying if she said that she'd never imagined what it would be like to kiss Steve Rogers. If **any** girl had a best friend who looked like Steve, they would one hundred percent, without a doubt have daydreamed about kissing him.

 _Daydreams can't hold a candle to real life_ , she thought to herself, contentedly.

After a while, they both had to pull back to catch their breaths. As they did, they just looked at each other, with big goofy smiles on their faces. They may have looked silly to passerbys, but that didn't matter at all.

Steve touched Natasha's cheek and she placed her hand over his. Once she was able to calm her heart from pounding like a drum, Natasha spoke. "So, after that, I **definitely** think we should go out tonight. In fact, I **can't** wait until tonight. Let's go to Willie's Diner." She stood and tugged on his hand, pulling him up with her.

Steve entwined his fingers with hers and they started walking. "Sounds like a plan. We could share a large strawberry and vanilla milkshake-"

"And eat a ton of chilli fries." Nat interrupted and licked her lips in anticipation.

"Agreed. I'll do my best not to eat most of the fries this time."

"Good! And I'll do my best not to sneak sips of the milkshake when you're not looking."

"I should have known all of that slobber on the straw came from your mouth." Steve shook his head and slipped his arm around Natasha's waist.

Warmth ran through Natasha and she sighed happily, enjoying the feel of Steve's strong arm around her waist. All her life, as long as she'd known him, she always liked how safe he made her feel, how protected, but this caress was even more special. She raised an eyebrow cockily and poked him on the chest.

"Yeah? You weren't too concerned about my mouth when you were kissing me a few moments ago~"

"That's right. I wasn't. You have nice lips, Nat." Steve stopped walking and she followed suit. He ran his forefinger along the outside of her upper lip, a smirk present on his face. Natasha's eyes widened and she parted her lips in surprise. Once she did this, Steve leaned down and pressed his lips against her upper one, sucking on it, gently.

He moved his lips over her sensuously for a few seconds before pulling back, the same smirk still on his handsome face. "No. I don't have a problem with your lips at all," he whispered in her ear and tugged her gently as they began to walk again.

Natasha was flustered and she touched her lip, still shocked that he actually kissed her like that. If his arm hadn't been around her, she would have fallen down to the ground because her legs were trembling from the desire that ran through her.

That was completely unfair, the way he sneaked that little kiss in and got her all mixed up. "Steve Rogers, you are a tease!" She hissed at him, smacking his arm. He only gave her a side glance and a small smirk. Finally, they reached Willie's Diner and he gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"Trust me, Romanoff. If you think _that_ is teasing, you haven't seen _anything_ yet."


	13. New Years Kiss

**A/N: This story was originally going to be in a different setting, but then I thought, 'Now, what would it be like if Johnny kissed Nat under a mistaken identity situation?' the end result is pretty funny!**

 _xxxXxxx_

 _Johnny Storm steals a kiss from Natasha Romanov at the Avengers New Years Eve party_

 **xxxXxxx**

There was only a handful of minutes until midnight and the new year. Natasha wasn't big on the holiday tradition of kissing someone as a way to celebrate. There were some things that Americans celebrated that she found truly ridiculous.

Tony had, unfortunately, overheard Natasha telling Clint how she thought the tradition of kissing a stranger at midnight was silly and he came over. With a smirk on his face, he warned her that unless she found someone to kiss herself, he would send an unknown individual to claim the chance themselves.

Of course she didn't believe him because he liked to say and do things that would draw attention to himself. It was a part of Tony's nature. Natasha was pretty certain that Tony was even a little bit scared of her and would never dare to send a random person to steal a kiss from her. It wasn't smart to piss off a spy. Especially **the** Black Widow.

Still, she would rather be safe than sorry, whigh was the reason she was trying to find Steve now. They'd worked very closely together over the past few years and Natasha knew that she'd feel more comfortable with kissing him than anyone else in this large group of strangers.

Hell, she could even admit that she was attracted to him - although, that was a given. Who _wouldn't_ be attracted to Captain America? He was one of her closet friends besides Clint and she trusted him with her life and vice versa. They had chemistry and there was more than a little heat between them.

Natasha promised herself that, even though she liked Steve, she wouldn't make a move unless she was sure he felt the same. That was yesterday, though. Today was a new day and in less than five minutes, it would be a new year.

If she found Steve and kissed him at midnight, the way he responded would tell her if he had feelings for her too. After all, Steve Rogers was not the kind of person who could successfully lie and hide his true feelings in something as intimate as a kiss. He hadn't been trained as a spy like Natasha had.

Truthfully, Natasha was sick and tired of pretending like she didn't care about Steve, because she did care. A lot. And it was time for him to know it. When she found him, she would make one hundred percent sure that he'd feel her desire for him in the kiss. This time, she was going to be just Natasha. No covers, no masks, no facades. Steve was going to get the real deal this time.

"Honestly, how hard is it to find a tall, blonde man in this room?" Natasha grumbled to herself and strained her neck to find Steve. They were far too many people in the building. Did Tony have absolutely zero respect for fire hazards?

Finally, she caught a glimpse of Steve talking to Sam and Bucky near the bar. She made a beeline for him and added more power to her stride when she heard everyone in the crowd begin to count down.

"Ten...nine..."

Why were there so many people in between her and the bar?

"...eight...seven..."

Natasha regretted that she hadn't chosen to bring her gun with her tonight. This crowd would definitely have thinned out quickly if she shot off a few rounds.

"...six...five..."

She was so close to him now. If she moved just a few steps closer, she could reach his arm.

"...four...three..."

Natasha latched onto Steve's shoulder, spinning him around to face her. He frowned and looked down at her, surprised by the motion. "Natasha? What are you doing?"

"...two...one..."

Instead of listening to the sound of his voice, Natasha'e eyes rested on those full lips that she'd been wanting to taste so badly. She licked her own and smirked. "Pucker up, Rogers. Today is your lucky day." Then she took him by the back of his neck and pulled his mouth down to hers.

"Happy New Year!"

Everyone yelled, threw party balloons in the air and kissed a person nearby them. The entire room was filled with a buzz of excitable energy and it fuelled Natasha on as she moaned into the kiss. Steve was an amazing kisser, even better than he had been on the escalator in the mall all those years ago.

After several seconds, Natasha finally pulled away so she could breathe. "I gotta say, Steve...I had no idea you were that good of a kisser. What have you been doing to perfect your technique? Practicing on trees?" When her eyes opened, the smile on her face dropped and she stared in shock.

The man who stood before her was not Steve Rogers, but Johnny Storm, aka, The Human Torch from the Fantastic Four team. The cogs began spinning in Natasha's mind and she groaned, remembering that Tony had invited the foursome to this party. "I enjoy my little chats with Reed," he'd said to Natasha with a wry grin on his face.

What he really meant was that he liked getting Reed drunk so he could coax the scientist into doing things that he would get him in trouble with Sue if she caught him. So typical of Tony.

"Johnny Storm?! What-I...I thought you were Steve!" Natasha's cheeks began to gradually turn red and she felt horribly embarrassed. Sam and Bucky gave her pitying glances before turning and finding some other people to talk to. They definitely did not want to witness this.

Johnny laughed and took a drink of his beer. "No, I'm not Steve. He's over on the couches, talking to Vision and Wanda. Maria was the one he kissed."

Natasha swivelled and, as Johnny said, there was Steve by the couches, smiling and talking to Maria Hill. They seemed a bit...chummy. An enraged glare spread across Natasha's face and she started to make her way over to the couches. Johnny grabbed her forearm, stopping her and she sent him a venomous look.

He chuckled uneasily and backed up a few steps. He may have not been an Avenger, but he knew how dangerous Natasha Romanoff was and he had no desire to be on the end of her wrath. He held up his hands in a peaceful surrender.

"Look, don't be mad. Steve does like you, he just gave Maria a kiss on the cheek, so you don't have to worry, okay?"

"Oh! And I should believe you, why?"

"Because I had my eyes open during the entire time you kissed me. I was watching them." Johnny couldn't stop the sly grin that formed on his lips.

"Such a gentleman. Why would you kiss me when you knew I would be pissed once I realized you weren't Steve?" She crossed her arms and gave him a levelled stare.

"Well, I'm not supposed to tell you, but...Tony put me up to it. He paid me five hundred bucks to make you think I was him. The reason you thought I was Steve was because I was wearing one of invisible face mask things." He pointed to the counter and Natasha's mouth dropped when she realized that the mask was the same kind she'd worn all those years ago to infiltrate SHIELD as Congresswoman Hawley.

Her eyes glinted dangerously and she looked up at Johnny. So Tony thought it would be funny to trick her into kissing someone else, huh? Oh, he was **dead**."You got paid for tricking me. Congratulations. Not many people can successfully pull the wool over my eyes and live to tell it." She stepped closer to Johnny and was pleased when she saw his Adam's apple Bob up and down.

He was scared. Good. He should be.

"Where. Is. He?" She hissed.

Johnny wordlessly pointed up towards the stairs and Natasha looked, seeing Tony with Pepper in his arms, laughing at something she'd said. Then, as if by magic, he looked down towards Natasha and their eyes met. Then he began to hurry away from Pepper and escaped down the stairs and through the hall. Or he thought he was going to escape.

Natasha smiled wickedly and gave Johnny a pat on his cheek. "Thanks, Johnny. Don't spend all of that money in one place." Then she ran down the hallway, chasing after Tony. As she turned a couple of corners, she put her hands on her hips. There were a lot of rooms on this floor. It may take her a while to catch Tony. As she inwardly debated where she should search first, Steve ran over to her. "Nat, Johnny just told me what Tony put him up to."

She stared at him, incredulously. "He _did_?" She was surprised that the young man would even have had the guts to tell Steve that he went along with Tony's plan. Steve Rogers was a pretty intimidating person.

"Yes. What do you say we do a little tag team and get him together?" His eyes were full of mischief.

She shook her head as if she had water in her ears. Steve Rogers was going to help her get revenge from Tony Stark? Today was a beautiful day. "Sure thing, Rogers. It'll be just like old times...but before we do this..." Natasha tugged him down to her and slammed her lips against his. The kiss was hard, passionate and demanding. Steve's hands gripped her waist and she pushed him against the wall.

Catching his lip between hers and massaging it gently, Natasha glared at Steve and pushed him back again, still a bit jealous after he had kissed Maria. "You listen here, Rogers. My lips are the only ones you're ever going to kiss. Got it?" The roughness in her voice was commanding and stern. Even if she hadn't physically seen him kiss Maria, it still set off her possessive instincts.

"You're mine and mine alone. Understand?"

Steve's lips quirked into a smile and he brushed his lips against hers once more. Then he kissed her forehead and drew back from her, eyes sparkling with a hungriness that nearly took her breath away. "Yes, ma'am. Loud and clear."

The blush that appeared on Natasha's cheeks couldn't be stopped. Steve had been so gentle, so tender with that kiss. It felt like he was cherishing her, as if she were important to him. There was a warmth that ran up and down her spine and through her belly. Well, she would discover the other ways Steve could be gentle with her later. Right now, they had a man to catch. "Good. Now let's scare the hell out of Tony."

As the two new lovers ran off in search of their prey, they had one mission: that by the time they were finished with Tony, he would never play around with either of them ever again.

xxxXxxx

 **I think it's safe to say that Tony would be sleeping in fear every night after Steve and Natasha deal with him. XD**


	14. Family

_Family Moments with Steve and Natasha_

xxxXxxx

Natasha gave James a big hug and kiss before tucking him in bed.

"Goodnight, honey. I love you."

"I love you too, mommy," replied the little boy, a soft smile gracing his features.

Natasha winked at him and went to the door, closing it quietly. When she turned, she saw Steve standing a few feet outside of the door, a pensive expression on his face. She took his hand in hers and smoothed her thumb over his knuckles.

"What is it, Steve?"

The blonde looked down at Natasha, at their joined hands. He breathed deeply and met her eyes with his. "Nat...whenever I see you and James together, I can't explain how much joy I feel inside. I'm so grateful to God that he gave me the two of you."

There were tears in his eyes as he spoke. "No matter how far apart we are, I always want you to remember that you and James are my miracle...you're my home."

Natasha's own eyes were misty by the time Steve finished and she entwined her fingers with hers.

"Baby...I feel the same way." Then she pulled him down to her and gave him a gentle kiss. Steve and Natasha were two hearts, bound by love and the dear little boy who slept in bed was their most precious gift in the world. 


	15. It's You

_Natasha talks about gum and guilts Steve into buying her a milkshake._

xxxXxxx

"You know what's funny? I actually hate gum," said Natasha as she blew one last bubble before spitting her gum in the trash. After that, she tossed the empty pack of gum in the trash as well and sighed, grateful to be rid of it.

Steve crooked his eyebrow at her. They were sitting in his room at the Avengers Complex. Natasha sat on his bed with her legs crossed and Steve was on his computer reading up on American history. He just logged off, eyes tired from all of the reading he'd been doing. Rubbing his eyes he said, "Then why bother chewing it when you don't like it?"

The redhead shrugged and took a long sip of her bottled water to wash the nasty aftertaste of the gum from her mouth. It took her two months to finish off that gum. It was also two months since they discovered that HYDRA was hiding inside of SHIELD for years. That pack of gum was the same one she bought to get the small flash drive out of the vending machine that Steve had hidden. "Well, I paid two bucks for that pack of gum, and it wouldn't have made any sense to just throw it all away. Waste not, want not."

"That and, I figured it'd be funny if I casually showed up behind you, chewing it. You didn't like it when you saw my reflection in the vending machine, though. Was slamming me into the wall absolutely necessary?" She raised her eyebrows at him, a disapproving expression across her features.

Steve sighed when he turned and saw the look she gave him. "Come on, Nat. I've told you dozens of times that I was sorry for getting so rough with you. What's it going to take to get you to stop mentioning it?"

Natasha grinned mischievously and stood, sauntering over to him and slid her arm through Steve's. Her voice was silky sweet as she said, "A strawberry milkshake from Willie's."

Steve chuckled and shook his head at his girlfriend. It was no surprise that she wanted a milkshake. That was her price for everything these days. It was a good thing that they were both physically fit and excercised regularly or they'd be packing on the pounds. "Why, Agent Romanoff, I had no idea you could be so manipulative."

Natasha scoffed and tugged on Steve's arm, pulling him out of his room and towards the elevator. She pressed the button and gave him a teasing grin. "Oh, please, Rogers. You're impossible to manipulate. Admit it. You _like_ doting on me~"

He made a low humming sound and kissed her on the cheek. Natasha smirked because whenever he hummed like that, it usually meant that he agreed with her. She knew him too well. "Yeah. I do."

The redhead smirked up at him and leaned on his shoulder. The door opened and they walked into the elevator together. She put her arm around his waist and held him close to her. Natasha liked to show off her possessiveness when it came to Steve. No one ever guessed that they weren't a couple whenever they were in the same room together. "I love it when a man is sweet on me...especially when it's the right man."

Steve blushed lightly at her words. Somehow, Natasha was the only one who could bring him to do that. She knew what he liked to hear and said it, but not because she only wanted to please him. She really did feel that way about Steve. He was the one for her and she would always make sure that he knew how she felt about him. "I'm lucky you chose me, then," he replied and they both leaned forward to give each other a gentle kiss.


	16. Rite of Passage

_Natasha ruminates in the intimate moment she and Steve shared in Sam's guest room._

 **xxxXxxx**

 _Trust._

Natasha wasn't used to it, especially someone with her past, in her line of work. There was Clint, but they were best friends. She didn't have anyone else, not even Nick. Yet, this man. Steve Rogers, THE Captain America, told her that he would trust her to protect him when no one else could.

This declaration shook Natasha to her core, but she played it off with a pithy remark about Steve finding out that he died for nothing. Natasha rarely let her walls fall or allowed herself to be vulnerable with anyone, but it felt so natural and easy with Steve that she wasn't sure how to process it. So masking her true feelings was necessary.

As a spy, Natasha was used to having a good grip on her emotions, being very careful to never show how she was really feeling around someone unless she wanted them to. Even then, she would play off the other person and make them think she felt a certain way when she really didn't. That was a part of her job, keeping people guessing, getting them to a vulnerable point where she could expose them. It's what she did best.

That moment she and Steve shared in Sam's guest bedroom...that hadn't been planned. Natasha tried to shrug off how she was feeling to Steve, but he was a very observant, person. The nonchalant expression on her face wasn't perfected and she knew that she'd opened herself up to questions. Strangely enough, it was easy for her to respond to him.

Realizing that she had been working for HYDRA all along shook Natasha to her core. For the many years she'd worked for the KGB, there was never any kind of regret or remorse for the terrible things she did. After Clint was sent to kill her, but instead, gave her a chance to turn straight and work for SHIELD, she'd taken it with nary hesitation.

Even though Natasha had been trained to be emotionless and not care for her targets, to only be objective and finish her missions, she'd begun to understand that there was a hole inside of her. She was merely a reflection of her job; she had nothing to set her apart from other people. Honestly, working for the KGB, she was more of a automaton than a human being. There was still a tiny piece of that little girl who was raised in the Red Room, the little girl who wanted to be free.

The only freedom she could find was in death.

When Clint had come to kill her, Natasha didn't try to fight him. She laid down her weapons and stood before him, eyes wide open and said, "Do it." Thankfully, he lowered his bow and decided not to follow through with his orders. When Clint looked at Natasha, all he could see was a scared kid, at the end of her rope and looking for a release in death.

Clint saw that, as bad as Natasha was, she was worth saving. So he brought her in. A lot of hell was raised over what he'd done. People were afraid for the safety of the American public, threats of the infamous Black Widow having an undercover job to destroy SHIELD from the inside out. All kinds of ideas and rumors floated around about her.

Luckily, Nick Fury had stepped in and backed Clint's decision. He took the matter to Alexander Pierce himself, the head of SHIELD and a good friend of his. They had a private three hour meeting behind closed doors and, in the end, the kill order on Natasha's life was officially removed.

All of this happened a decade ago and since then, Natasha had been a loyal SHIELD agent. Because of her Red Room training, she was deadly with nearly any weapon and could blend into any environment like a chameleon. She could sneak into the most heavily guarded, off limits places in the world. Infiltration and extraction was her middle name. Those were the two things she excelled at besides being one of the most dangerous people on the planet.

Strange, how people feared her just by her code name and yet, it was her own emotions that could bring her to her downfall sooner than anything else. Piece by piece, the more Natasha got to know Steve, the more she was certain that her carefully constructed walls would start to tumble around her. Revealing her true feelings wasn't so bad when she was with him.

That moment she and Steve shared in Sam's guest room was a rare moment when she felt like maybe, just _maybe_ she could be herself around him. If he trusted her with his life sans reservations, he might be able to accept her as she truly was. She'd already bore a part of her soul to him. Steve Rogers was filling her life with his presence and she wanted more of him.

And yes, Sam came along and the magic was gone. Still, Natasha would always remember the moment when Steve Rogers, a man that she'd secretly begun looking up to since they fought side by side battling the Chit'auri in New York, told her that he trusted **her**. Steve was the epitome of everything good, honorable and just. He was a real patriot, a leader, a bona fide superhero and he was willing to put his faith in her, a spy who usually looked out for herself and never stayed around when it wasn't safe.

Only this time, she **wanted** to stay, and prove to Steve that she could _own_ his trust. Something about Steve inspired her, made her want to be better. He was like a balm for her soul and she knew when she looked into his blue eyes that his presence could be addictive if she let it. So she played off her attraction and kept sending potential dates his way. It was her way of protecting herself from falling too hard.

Deep down, Natasha knew that, from the way her heart warmed around Steve, the way her breath caught whoever he walked into a room, no amount of suppression could stop the feelings she had for him. The warm gaze he directed towards her during their quiet talk in the guest room was all too clear. If reading people had taught her anything, she could see that Steve was beginning to feel the same way.


	17. Anniversary Surprise

_It's Steve and Natasha's tenth anniversary and they both have a special gift for each other._

 **xxxXxxx**

"Nat." Steve gently shook his wife, to wake her up. The sun wasn't out just yet, so the sky was still covered in a hazy light blue. It was bright enough to see Natasha's face, though. Steve could have waited to do this later, but he was far too excited now.

It took a few moments for Natasha's eyes to open - she had slept pretty heavily last night - but once she did, she smiled up at him. "Yeah? What is it?" Her voice was still a little croaky from just waking up and she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands as she sat up.

Steve brushed his hand over her messy hair, now more auburn than the fiery red it used to be. She was so beautiful. "Do you know what today is?"

Natasha grinned and sat up, placing her chin on her knees. "How could I ever forget? It's our anniversary." She was the best when it came to remembering things like anniversaries and weddings.

Steve smiled and reached over to the nightstand drawer. He pulled out a small, wrapped, square-shaped gift and handed it to her. "Happy anniversary, doll." He knew that she would like what he'd given her.

She hadn't expected him to give her a gift so early in the morning, but she was touched that he chose this moment instead of later. "Thank you, Steve." Natasha curiously tore open the wrapping paper and gasped once she realized what it was. It was a small, framed picture of their first kiss on the escalator in the mall all those years ago. "Wha-how did you get this?"

Steve put his arm around her, enjoying the shocked but pleased expression on her face. "Well, you'd never guess it, but a fan saw us from the other escalator, realised who we were and took a picture. She got one developed and actually sent it to me with a note saying that she hoped we'd be happy together."

Natasha's eyes widened and she laughed. "That...is hilarious and also wildly prophetic." She ran her fingers over the picture lovingly and smiled at it. To think that someone captured one of the best moments of her life and sent it to her husband _before_ they even got married.

The blonde brushed his lips against his wife's temple. "To say the least. I sent her a picture of us at our wedding as a thank you. I'm sure she enjoyed it."

Natasha chuckled softly. "I'll bet she did. Oh, this is incredible, honey. I love this picture, Steve. I _really_ do...but my gift totally beats yours."

Brow furrowed, Steve replied, "Oh, yeah? How so?" He had no idea what could be better than this picture of the two of them, but who knew? When it came to Natasha Rogers, Steve was always ready to expect the unexpected.

Natasha's lips quiver with emotions and she took her husband's hand, placing it on her belly. "Because I'm pregnant."

His eyes widened and he gaped in shock. "Nat, are you really...?"

Tears slid down her cheeks and she nodded. The look on his face was priceless and she wouldn't have traded this moment for anything in the world. "Yes, Steve. We're finally going to have a baby."

Steve held his hand on her stomach, the look on her face was full of wonder. He leaned down and kissed her belly with such tenderness that Natasha let out s sob as she watched him. Then he drew her close to his chest and kissed her with fervent adoration. Seconds later he pulled back, his misty eyes shone with love for her. "I love you, Natasha."

She hugged him and sighed, contented to be in the arms of the man she loved. "And I love you, Steve. I can't wait to have your baby." They stayed in bed like this for a long time, wrapped in each other's arms. Both were so overwhelmed with emotion that no words were spoken between them, but they didn't need words to express how they felt.

The steady beat of Steve's heart was gave Natasha peace. She was beside herself with joy and she knew that he felt the same way.

Finally, after ten years of marriage, ten years of trying, now they would be blessed with the ultimate gift. The gift that they had always wanted and never stopped giving up hope or praying for, and now, their greatest wish was about to come true. They were going to have a _child_.


	18. Ah, Patriotism

**A/N: I just had to do a little one shot dedicated to that hilarious scene in The Nanny Diaries. I could totally see this happening between them too! :D**

xxxXxxx

 _Natasha hates the missions SHIELD sends her on sometimes._

xxxXxxx  
When Natasha stepped into the elevator, Steve burst out laughing. "Shut up, Rogers," she growled, embarrassed at having been seen in this ridiculous get-up. She was used to going undercover for SHIELD missions, but wearing this damned Betsy Ross outfit was not easy. It was just her luck to be sharing an elevator with her boyfriend, THE Captain America himself, while wearing this terrible costume.

The blonde laughed for a few long, torturous moments longer before clearing his throat and attempting to act natural. Natasha could tell by the shaking of his shoulders that he was holding something back, and it was something very difficult for him to resist.

Sighing loudly, she knew that she might as well let him say what he was thinking so she could stop looking at that dumb grin on his face. "What?" She hissed in annoyance.

Steve held out his hand and cleared his throat. "You look very patriotic, Nat."

Natasha's cheeks burned and she scowled. Of course he would say something like that. He had to. "Can it, Rogers!"

But he couldn't stop just yet. "Looking at you makes me feel like singing the national anthem."

The redhead's hands clenched into fists and she closed her eyes, hoping the doors would open soon. She never should have allowed him to have the go ahead to speak. Now he was on a roll and when Steven Grant Rogers was on a roll, he wouldn't stop until he was finished.

"Stop. Talking."

And, of course, he didn't.

He needed to get one more in before the doors opened, so he pumped his fist in the air and said, "God bless America!" Natasha was ready to yell in frustration at that point when the elevator doors slid open.

Without hesitation, she ran from Steve, cheeks faint pink from embarrassment. Mentally, she began to work through a plan to get sweet revenge on him for his relentless teasing.

Unable to resist just _one more_ joke, Steve poked his head out and called, "Honey, don't forget to finish sewing the flag when you get back home!" It was enjoyable to watch her scamper off in that huge dress. She was even wearing the little white cap on her head too! If he had been thinking at the time, Steve would have taken a picture of her.

The elevator doors closed and even though he knew that Nat would kick his butt later for teasing her, Steve didn't regret it one bit. It wasn't every day he got to make fun of the Black Widow.


	19. 1-800-Call Nat

_Steve is having a little problem with James and he calls Natasha for help._

* * *

Steve dialled his wife's cell phone and waited for her to pick it up. It took about eight rings, but she finally answered. "Hello?"

"Nat, is now a bad time to call?"

She almost sounded agitated when she picked up the phone.

"I'm a little tied up at work, but go ahead."

At first, Steve wanted to ask what she meant by 'tied up', but decided against it. She was on a mission, he knew that much, but the nature of said mission was one he'd probably be better off not knowing.

Now he felt embarrassed for what he was about to say, but he already called his wife, so he might as well tell her. "Nat, James fell in the toilet."

There was a silence on the phone and Steve began to feel like an idiot for calling her.

"...that's it? And I thought this was something _important_." She rolled her eyes. Natasha loved her husband, she really did, but sometimes he could be utterly ridiculous. "Geez, Steve, you called me for this? Hurry up and pull him out. There's germs and bacteria in there, you know."

Steve sighed on the other end of the phone and Natasha bit her lip to avoid laughing at him.

"I already did that and I put down the lid-" At this point, Natasha interrupted her husband with a sarcastic and overly excited tone. "Oh, finally. You actually put down the lid for our son's health and safety. I'm _so_ proud."

Static came through the line and an annoyed groan after. "Nat, be serious." She laughed. "I'm always serious. Haven't you realized that by now?"

Steve ignored her quip. He looked into the bathroom where their toddler was trying to be Hercules with the toilet lid. "James keeps trying to lift the lid up. So what do I do?"

The giggles started coming and Natasha made sure that Steve heard them over the phone. "Well, we both know he can't lift it. He's just two...but let him keep trying. It'll help his upper body strength."

Her husband sighed again. Natasha was clearly in a cheerful mood now, which was good for her. "Thanks for the help."

The redhead cheerfully replied. "Anytime, babe. Love ya."


	20. I'll Protect You From The Cold

_Nat comforts Steve after he has a bad dream._ Pre-Winter Soldier. Canon divergent.

* * *

At first, she didn't hear anything. Not that she would have right off the bat. Natasha Romanoff was a heavy sleeper and it took a lot to wake her up. However, this case was different. The loud moaning had turned into a long guttural scream and her eyes snapped open.

" _Steve_ ," she whispered and kicked back her bedcovers. Without bothering to put on her robe, Natasha leapt from her bed, rushed out of her room and took off down the hall. She got into the elevator and rode it to the floor above her, Steve's floor and quickly made her way to his bedroom door.

As usual, his door was locked, but all she had to do was say the code to Jarvis and he opened the door with no complaint. This had been a recurring theme in the past few weeks and both Jarvis and Natasha had gotten used to it.

Regardless of the familiarity of the situation, it never made Natasha feel good to see Steve writhing back and forth in his bed. Silently, Natasha went into the bathroom and took out a small washcloth from the bathroom cabinet. She held the rag under the faucet for a few seconds. Then, when it was good and wet, she squeezed the water out and went into Steve's bedroom again.

It took a brave person to approach Steve when he was asleep. The man was huge and could cause some serious damage if he were awakened the wrong way while having a nightmare. However, Natasha was no stranger to him and she had experience with this matter.

She padded over to the bed and turned on the tiny lamp on his nightstand. It was enough for her to see his furrowed brow and his worried, sweaty face.

"No! Stop! Bucky! Ahhh!" He screamed and Natasha's heart went out to him. Once again, Steve was dreaming of his best friend. The man whose death he felt responsible for. The anguish on Steve's face broke Natasha's heart and she reached out, shaking him.

"Steve. Steve, wake up. Wake up!" Her whispers were harsh and urgent, although very soft. Thankfully, as before, her words were soft enough for him to hear.

After a few more moans and twists of his head, Steve stilled and his breathing slowed into a steadier pace. Natasha slipped her hand into his and squeezed gently while smoothing the knuckles.

Seconds later, she found herself looking into Steve's beautiful blue eyes. His gaze was a bit glassy as if he were on the verge of crying. No matter how many times she had to come and wake him up from his nightmares, Natasha never got tired or frustrated by it. She understood that what Steve needed was comfort, a shoulder to lean on in his vulnerable moments. This is what she freely gave to him in order to make his nights go by a little easier.

"Nat...I-I dreamed about Bucky again..." His voice was a bit hoarse. He'd been screaming for a bit longer than usual before Natasha had gotten to him.

The redhead wiped his brow with the wet washcloth. "Shh, it's okay. It was just a nightmare. That's all. It wasn't real, Steve."

"But this time, it was different, Nat. In this dream, he was...he was about to kill you. He had just pointed his gun on you and was aiming to fire wh-when you woke me up. It was terrible!" Steve looked into her eyes, desperation written all over his features.

This was the first time that Steve had dreamed about her. Usually, his dreams were about that awful moment on the train when Bucky fell to his death.

If the situation were different, Natasha would feel flattered that Steve were dreaming about her. This, though, was anything from a good thing. It never made her feel good to see Steve so worried, so afraid like this. Losing Bucky was like losing a part of him. Natasha didn't even have to guess it. She just knew.

Add that to the trauma of being in ice for over seventy years and waking up to a world that is much altered from the one you grew up knowing, and there was no way anyone could expect you to be one hundred percent.

Since Steve was the Avengers' leader, he had to be transparent, but at the same time, he had to keep his teammates from seeing this broken, tortured part of his soul. He was a changed man from the one he once was years ago. He couldn't afford to show such an intimate view of himself. It would only endanger the team and the people they were trying to save or hinder their mission.

The first time Natasha found Steve like this was three months ago on a cold, rainy Saturday in the Avengers Tower. It had been an unusually cold day and the air conditioning in Steve's room had just conked out around midnight.

The cold always had a negative effect on Steve, as it would bring back those sad memories of losing Bucky and crashing into the Arctic. Said memories would turn into horrible nightmares that were hard for him to wake up from. Yet, Natasha made sure she was there for him whenever these nightmares occurred. She stayed with him all night the first time and ever since then, she continued to do the same. They simply trusted each other that much.

Natasha cleared her throat and ran her hand through Steve's blonde hair gently. "It was only a nightmare. See? I'm flesh and blood and I'm right here with you." She took his hand and cupped it with her own.

Taking in a shuddering breath, Steve tugged her arm down and she blinked in surprise. In all of the nights she comforted him, he never brought her this close to him. It unnerved her a little, being so near to him.

His voice was so light, like a brush of a feather tickling her cheek as he said, "Nat...I can't lose you too."

The redhead breathed slowly and steadily. She was taken aback by Steve's earnest words. He spoke them so tenderly, almost like the way a lover would. It even sounded like there were tears in his eyes when he uttered them.

Of course Natasha knew that there was something between she and Steve. The witty banter, the flirtatious looks they sent each other's way, the flawless moments when they fought together in battle, side-by-side. They were a unit. Perfect partners.

Neither had admitted so out loud, but both of them knew that their feelings were quite mutual.

 _Perhaps this is the start of something..._ Natasha thought to herself.

Time to end this dance.

Pushing the covers back, she crawled into bed with him and lie her head on his chest. She dared to entwine her fingers with his. Steve's arms went around her waist in a protective embrace and Natasha reveled in it. This was a risk, getting so close to him, letting him get close to her, but Natasha didn't care anymore. She wanted this more than anything in the world.

When she was settled, she looked up at him, her green eyes meeting his blue ones. "Steve, you'll never lose me. Go back to sleep."

Steve nodded, and he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. "Don't leave. Stay."

The plea in his voice touched her. Honestly, there was no way she could go now. Even if she wanted to. "I'm here to stay, Steve. I promise."

The blonde smiled at her before closing his eyes and falling back asleep. Natasha watched the movement of his chest until his breathing became steady and slow. When she was certain he was asleep, she pulled the covers over both of them.

Natasha could feel sleep overtaking her as well, but she resisted it long enough to run her hand across Steve's cheek. His skin was warm under her fingers and she sighed contentedly. Her eyelids began to droop and she fell asleep as well.

Even though she was asleep, the words Natasha had spoken to Steve were very true, and when she said them, they came from her heart. Deep inside of her soul, she knew that she could never leave Steve. Come what may, she would stay by his side and keep him close to her just as they lie peacefully in his bed. How could she do any less for the man who had stolen her heart?

* * *

 **-hands out tissues and handkerchiefs-**


	21. Colour Me Smitten

_"So what are you drawing, Steve?"_

 _"What makes you think I'm drawing anything?"_

 _Natasha gave him a pointed look before scoffing and reached over to pick up his sketchbook. "Please. You're a terrible liar. Every time I come to refill your coffee or give you one of those scones you like so much, you close this book like your life depends on-"_

 _Her eyes ran over a page of a woman with full lips, curly shoulder-length hair and an apron. It became clear to her why Steve had been frequenting the coffee shop so often._

 _He came to draw her._

* * *

The coffee was good at Stark's and the blueberry scones, even more so. It was remarkably convenient that such a famous branch of coffee shops decided to come to Brooklyn. A lot of people in New York - well, the world, really - liked Starbucks, but Steve couldn't get into that. It was too trendy for him. He needed a place like Stark's, which was more homey and comfortable.

When the shop opened up three blocks away from his apartment, he was one of the first people lined up to go in. Faintly, swing music from the forties played through the shop speakers and he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. That was another thing he liked about the place. They always played older music.

As it turned out, since this was the shop's grand opening, they were giving out free ten dollar gift cards to the first one hundred customers. Steve knew that he would be among those who received one because before the shop even opened its doors, there were less than twenty people in front of him.

When the line began to get smaller, he noticed that there was a beautiful redhead who was handing out the gift cards.

Fiery red hair, plump lips, dark green eyes, slender waist, curvy legs. She was a knock out and the most beautiful woman Steve had ever seen in his life. This was exactly the kind of woman he wanted to do a portrait of or a drawing. She was truly magnificent. Steve's fingers began to fidget a little. If only he'd brought his sketchbook. When it was his turn, she handed him a gift card.

"Thank you for coming to Stark's Coffee House. I hope you enjoy your visit."

"I know I will," he said, and indeed, he already was.

She smiled at him, then furrowed her eyebrows. "What-oh, hold on. You have something on your face." Leaning forward, she moved closer to him and rubbed at the skin on his cheek. Steve tried his best to keep his facial expression neutral. Not only had he found the girl he'd waited his whole life to draw, now she was touching his face. It was a dream come true!

"Huh. It's not coming off," she said in a confused tone and she rubbed harder on the skin.

"Oh, that's paint. I was giving my kitchen a little touch-up." He gently placed his hand on hers and smiled.

She seemed to brighten when he touched her and bit her lip. Her eyelids fluttered before she responded. "Well, I think every kitchen needs a touch-up sometime or another. After all, that's the place where we make the most messes, right?"

Steve couldn't resist the grin that spread across his face. The way she looked at him gave him the hint that she may be interested in him. Maybe she felt something in his touch. Who knew?

He wasn't able to find out because a middle-aged man behind him said, "Excuse me, but could the two of you flirt some other time? I want my gift card and there are a lot of other people who want theirs, too. You're holding up the line."

Two bright spots appeared on her cheeks and she lowered her head, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, sir." She looked at Steve again with a shy smile and said, "I hope you find something to your liking."

He merely nodded, feeling just as embarrassed as she and walked into the shop, so the line could keep moving. Of course, once he was seated, he couldn't keep his eyes off her. If he were thinking, he'd have asked for her name because after she handed out all of the gift cards, she went behind the counter to take people's orders.

Steve had seriously been lamenting his neglect of bringing a sketch pad. He'd found a pencil in his jacket pocket, but not one scrap of paper on his person. He began to debate going back home to grab his sketch pad, but hesitated. Since this was a grand opening of the Stark Coffee House, he wasn't guaranteed to find a seat as good as the one he currently sat in.

From here, he could see the counter perfectly and the lovely waitress who'd caught his eye as she dealt with customers, never losing that kind smile. If only there were something for him to draw on...

That's when he looked down and noticed that one of the waitresses had placed a handful of red napkins and white on the table. Perfect! He grabbed a couple and began running his pencil against the cloth. The pretty waitress was close enough that he could see the details for what he needed to draw: the sassy arch of her left brow, the curve of her smile, the way the hair at the nape of her neck curled against her skin.

A handful of times, he even caught her eyes and she sent him a sweet smile, the kind that said they shared some kind of secret that only the two of them knew. When the line began to dwindle, he went up to the cashier to make his order.

This is time, his eyes glanced at her name tag. Natasha. It was a beautiful and fitting name for this lovely creature. Natasha's lips curved upwards again and she relaxed her posture as if they were already quite familiar with each other.

"What can I get you?" She asked in a breathy voice.

There was no doubt about it. Steve would be coming to this shop frequently.

* * *

Three weeks had passed since Stark's had opened in Brooklyn and Steve made sure that he came at least four times a week. It was a good thing that he worked out regularly, or all of the blueberry scones and caramel macchiatos would be making him gain a lot of weight.

Even if he had, he wouldn't have minded one bit because the main reason he came to the coffee house was to draw Natasha. She was stunning and he couldn't get enough of her. Over the past weeks, they'd spoken to each other a number of times and had struck up a budding friendship.

Steve wasn't the least bit ashamed to admit that he'd learned Natasha's schedule. She worked part-time from nine pm to two pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Since those were the days that she worked, those were the days he came. Hopefully, she didn't think that he was a creep, just that he really loved the scones and coffee.

One day, on a Friday around two o'clock, business was kind of slow and Natasha had gone through the doors leading to the kitchen. This was something she always did before she left for home. She would eat her lunch with her other co-workers who were about to get off and then, she'd exit out the back door. Steve knew this to be a fact because he had asked after her a couple of times and her co-workers told him that she'd already gone.

It was a little frustrating for him since he really wanted to sit down and have a discussion with her when she got off work. She always left too damn quickly!

So, there he was, drawing yet another portrait of Natasha on his sketchpad and feeling a little sorry for himself. He had been so focused on the drawing in front of him that he didn't realise someone had taken the seat across from him until they spoke.

"Hard at work again, I see," came the all-too-familiar feminine voice.

Steve startled and gave a tiny jump in his seat before looking into the eyes of none other than Natasha herself.

"Oh...hi, Natasha," he said nervously, voice shaking.

Natasha frowned at him and cocked her head to the side. "Steve. You've been here for hours. I know the scones and coffee is good, but it can't be good enough for you to hang around for four hours. Were you...waiting for me?"

His heart began to pound furiously after she said that. Had she seen him watching her? It wouldn't surprise him the least if she did. Natasha was a very observant person and she had no doubt caught him watching her during his previous visits.

"No. I just...like the atmosphere."

She rolled her eyes and pointed to his sketchpad. "So what are you drawing, Steve?"

"What makes you think I'm drawing anything?" It was a feeble response, but the only one he could think of at the moment.

Natasha gave him a disbelieving look before scoffing and reached over to pick up his sketchbook. "Please. You're a terrible liar. Every time I come to refill your coffee or give you one of those scones you like so much, you close this book like your life depends on-"

Her eyes ran over a page of a woman with full lips, curly shoulder-length hair and an apron. It became clear to her why Steve had been frequenting the coffee shop so often.

He came to draw her.

She gasped softly as she gazed at the drawings. "...wow. So I was right. You were drawing me."

The worried look on Steve's face went away in an instant and was replaced by a confused one. "Wait a minute. What do you mean, you were were right?"

Natasha's hand touched the page she flipped to very lightly, as if she were afraid to ruin the drawing in front of her. Never before had she seen such a remarkably lifelike drawing of herself. Tiny butterflies started fluttering around in her stomach.

She grinned at him. "Well, you weren't very inconspicuous. Just about every ten seconds, you kept looking over at me, then back down at this pad. It didn't take so long for me to figure out what you were up to."

Steve hardly knew what to say. He expected Natasha to get angry with him, yell or call him a demented pervert or something. The very last thing he thought she'd do is smile at him and admire his drawings. He licked his lips and replied, "I guess I'd make a lousy spy, then, huh?"

"Oh, definitely. **Very** lousy, but that's okay. From what I can see here, you've already found your calling. These drawings are so beautiful. Are they...what you see when you look at me?" The was a slight tinge of concern in her tone when she asked him this.

He didn't hesitate to respond. "Yes. I think you're beautiful, Nat, but these drawings pale in comparison to the real you sitting in front of me."

Natasha sucked in a breath and looked down at the drawing again. Her chest heaved up and down as she tried her best to keep her emotions under control. Then, she lifted her head and met Steve's eyes with her own lovely emerald ones. Before he knew what was happening, she leaned across the table and pressed her lips against his.

Startled, he sat there for a few seconds, unsure of whether this were a dream or reality. Her fingers tangling in his hair soon put him to rights and he kissed her back with passion. Natasha sighed into the kiss and let one of her hands drift down to Steve's shoulders and grip it tightly.

They sat there for who knows how long, enjoying the feel and taste of each other until their lungs screamed for air and they were forced to pull apart. When they did, they stayed connected, Natasha's hands entwined with Steve's.

"Natasha...I never knew you cared," he said cockily.

"Don't-don't call me that. Call me 'Nat', like you did earlier. I like the way it sounds on your lips."

"Yes, ma'am," he said as he leaned forward to capture her lips again.

She moaned and nipped at his bottom lip, feeling so pleased with the sultry sensation of his mouth on hers. Suddenly, she pulled away and rubbed his knuckles with her fingers. "Wait. Steve...we're moving too fast."

A disappointed expression came on his face and he frowned. Maybe he had misread her? "Sorry...I thought you wanted-"

"Oh, I do! I do, but I mean, you haven't even said that you like me yet. I'm not the kind of girl who goes home with a guy when I don't even know how he feels about me."

"So you want to go home with me?" A smirk replaced the disappointed look quickly and Steve's breath tickled against her skin.

Two bright red spots appeared on Natasha's cheeks and she looked away. "Well...yes, but that's not the point. I may want to go home with you, but I'm not a one night stand kind of girl. I like it when a guy wines and dines me. I like knowing where I stand with someone before committing to a relationship with him."

"Alright, then. Natasha Romanoff, I would be honored if you'd consent to be my best girl."

Her breath hitched in her throat. "D-do you mean that, Steve?"

Steve brushed his hand along her cheek before replying, "I'd never lie about this, Nat. Not with you. That's a promise." He gave her a determined gaze that took away all of the fears she had left and squelched them.

Natasha took a deep breath and smiled at him. "Well, if that's the case, then let's go to your apartment."

He widened his eyes. "But I thought you said you didn't want-"

She covered his lips with her finger. "I'm not coming over for that. Not yet, anyway. I haven't had lunch today and I think it's only fair that you treat me to pizza and a movie at your place. And if you're lucky, I may even let you cop a feel." She winked at him and stood up, donning her jacket.

"Heh, well, in that case, I'm game." Steve got to his feet as well and picked up his sketchpad, putting it in his pocket and holding his hand out to his new girlfriend. Natasha took it, once again entwining their fingers together.

They both walked out of the coffee shop and into the fresh spring air. As they made their way to Steve's apartment, he said, "You know, it's funny. I never would have expected that a new coffee shop opening in my neighborhood would change my life."

Natasha chuckled. "Me either. I'll tell you something. I am definitely purchasing stock in the company after this."

Steve joined in her laughter. "So am I."


End file.
